Japanese minister meets with ethnic armed groups
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Parliamentary Vice-Minister Komura Masahiro held a meeting with a delegation of resistance leaders from Burma in Tokyo, Japan on Tuesday.
“The Government of Japan would continue its efforts to find a way out of the current impasse through dialogue with various stakeholders in Myanmar. Both sides confirmed that they would continue to closely communicate with each other toward a peaceful resolution of the situation in Myanmar,” added Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Komura held talks with Karen National Union (KNU) President Padoh Saw Kwe Htoo Win, and the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) and Karenni Interim Executive Council (IEC) Chairperson Khu Oo Reh. Representatives from the National Unity Government (NUG) and the Chin National Front (CNF/CNA) were in attendance, Nikkei Asia reported.
Dozens of Burma nationals arrested in Thailand
At least 32 undocumented migrants from Burma were arrested by police in Chiang Mai, Thailand on May 11. Five Burma nationals were charged by police after they got into an altercation with a Thai boxing instructor. Authorities later arrested 27 other undocumented Burma nationals after the five were taken to the police station.
The Thai immigration Bureau has arrested undocumented migrants from Burma in raids at shops, restaurants, and spas in Chiang Mai last month. Migration to Thailand has increased since the military conscription law was activated on Feb. 10. There are four million migrants from Burma in Thailand, according to EconThai. Around 1.7 million are working illegally.
Director of Karen Information Center receives award
The World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) Women in News named Nan Paw Gay, the director and editor-in-chief of Karen Information Center (KIC), as one of its 2024 Women in News Editorial Leadership Award Laureates.
“I am proud to receive this award on behalf of Myanmar and Southeast Asia. Media work is one of the most stressful jobs, and I believe this recognition will greatly motivate women journalists in independent Myanmar media to continue their work,” Nan Paw Gay told DVB.
This year’s other Women in News laureates were Beatrice Bandawe, the managing editor at The Guardian Limited in Tanzania, and Dima Khatib, the managing director at AJ+ from Al Jazeera in Palestine and Syria. The Women in News laureates have been named by WAN-IFRA since 2014.
News by Region
ARAKAN—Thandwe Township residents claimed that the military carried out airstrikes and fired artillery at Linthi village on Wednesday. Ten civilians were killed by artillery on Tuesday. “One of the two shells landed on a home and killed three family members and two guests,” said a resident. At least 11 civilians have been killed and at least 23 have been injured in Thandwe since fighting between the Arakan Army (AA) and Burma Army began last month.
AYEYARWADY—Twenty-seven civilians were arrested by the military in April for allegedly supporting the People’s Defense Force (PDF). “Three young women are among the arrested and their families are worried about them,” said an anonymous source close to one of the arrested women’s families. Some of the 27 have been reportedly charged under Section 505 of the Penal Code for incitement and spreading “false news.”
MANDALAY—A man’s severed head was discovered in Taungyagyi village of Singu Township on Tuesday. “We have not found his body yet,” said a neighbor. The victim had a wife and son. Taungyagyi residents accuse Burma Army troops of the beheading. It has been conducting an offensive in the area.
MAGWAY—Seven people, including two children, were killed and at least nine others were injured by an airstrike on Tawma village of Saw Township on Tuesday. “Two of the seven victims were an eight month-old baby and a five-year-old boy. The bomb was dropped by a fighter jet and landed on their home,” said a resident. Eleven homes were destroyed.
YANGON—Regime deputy Commander-in-Chief Soe Win provided drone equipment to military bases in Yangon May 13-14, according to a source close to the regime. DVB was unable to independently verify this information. Drones and anti-drone systems were reportedly provided to the 11th Infantry Division Headquarters in Yangon on May 14.
“The most support was given to the Hmawbi and Mingaladon districts, which often come under attack. There were also reconnaissance drones,” the source told DVB. Soe Win met with commanders from the Hmawbi and Mingaladon Air Force bases at the Yangon Regional Headquarters on May 13. The military regime has ordered drone operations to begin in June.
