Jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s fate ‘uncertain’
The National League for Democracy (NLD) party told DVB that it is “uncertain” whether jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi is still alive as the party’s leadership has received “no information” about her health from the regime in Naypyidaw, which seized power during the 2021 military coup. The NLD was dissolved by the regime’s Union Election Commission in March 2023 for not re-registering.
“We know nothing about Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s health or whereabouts,” Myo Nyunt, an NLD executive member, told DVB. He added that he has heard that the family of President Win Myint is able to send parcels to him in detention but have not been allowed to see him. Both Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint have been held incommunicado since the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021.
Aung San Suu Kyi is currently serving a 27-year sentence, while Win Myint was sentenced to eight years in prison. Aung San Suu Kyi reportedly last met with her lawyers in December 2022. A total of 30,128 people have been arrested and 22,656 are still in detention for political reasons since the 2021 coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).
Kim Aris fears his mother may have died in detention
With her health failing and an information vacuum around jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Kim Aris worries that he may not even know if she passed away. He has not heard from his 80-year-old mother in years, and has received only sporadic, secondhand details about her heart, bone and gum problems since the 2021 coup that ousted her NLD government.
While Aris rejects attempts by the regime to hold elections later this month, dismissed by many foreign governments as a sham aimed at legitimizing military rule, he says it could provide an opening to ease his mother’s plight. “She’s got ongoing health issues. Nobody has seen her in over two years. She hasn’t been allowed contact with her legal team, never mind her family,” he said during a visit to Tokyo, Japan.
“For all I know, she could be dead already. I imagine [regime leader] Min Aung Hlaing has his own agenda when it comes to my mother. If he does want to use her to try and appease the general population before or after the elections by either releasing her or moving her to house arrest, then at least that would be something,” Aris added. Read more
Magway residents displaced amid counteroffensive
Residents of Pauk and Myaing townships in Magway Region told DVB that the Burma Air Force carried out four gyrocopter attacks on the Thabyaynyo oil field on Sunday. No casualties were reported. Myaing and Pauk, located 130-136 miles (209-218 km) north of the region’s capital Magway, are partially controlled by the People’s Defence Force (PDF).
The PDF in Myaing told DVB that the regime Air Force carries out indiscriminate attacks “almost on a daily basis.” A spokesperson from the Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Department under the National Unity Government (NUG) told DVB that nearly 10,000 residents of Pauk have fled their homes since Dec. 9 due to a regime counteroffensive.
He added that displaced residents are in urgent need of blankets and warm clothes due to the low temperatures. A PDF member in Pauk told DVB that its forces are engaged in battle with over 150 regime troops. Residents in Pauk, Myaing, Seikphyu and Yesagyo townships told DVB that regime forces launched a counteroffensive against the PDF in late October.
News by Region
CHINLAND—Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) Executive Director Salai Za Uk Ling delivered a speech to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, on Sept. 8 about the regime’s 2025-26 elections, which are scheduled to begin on Dec. 28 and continue into January 2026.
“[Naypyidaw] is planning on holding an election on top of the countless bodies and the anguish of the millions of people of Myanmar. Please do not legitimize these elections. It will worsen the situation. It will compound the suffering of people and stretch our suffering for many, many more years,” Salai Za Uk Ling, the CHRO director, told the U.N.
NAYPYIDAW—The Burma Air Force marked its 78th anniversary on Monday at its headquarters in the capital Naypyidaw with 30 aircrafts on display, regime media reported. Min Aung Hlaing said during his speech that the Air Force “supports the anti-terrorism operations through effective air raids.”
Military analysts told DVB that the regime has purchased over 50 military aircrafts for its Air Force from Russia and China since the 2021 coup. At least 1,227 civilians have been killed in 1,368 airstrikes nationwide since the earthquake on March 28, according to DVB data.
YANGON—Sources close to the Union Election Commission (UEC) told DVB that independent and Labour Party candidates Tin Htoo Aung and Kyaw Thuya were “dismissed” after being accused of “unlawful associations.” They will not be allowed to participate in the regime elections.
Tin Htoo Aung was a candidate for Rakhine Ethnic Affairs Minister and Kyaw Thuya was a Labour Party candidate for constituency 1. A source close to the UEC told DVB on the condition of anonymity that the two are accused of violating Section 10(M) of UEC Law for ties to banned groups.
“Since this election is a sham one, orchestrated by the military regime, it’s not surprising at all that those who do not comply with them are somehow eliminated [from participating in the election],” a Rakhine former politician told DVB. Tin Htoo Aung did not respond to a DVB request for comment.
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