Karen National Union refuses to allow regime election in its territory
The Karen National Union (KNU) held an online seminar on Sunday called “preventing the military regime’s fake election.” During the seminar, the KNU spokesperson Padoh Saw Kale Say said that the ethnic armed group will prevent the regime from setting up polling stations in areas under its control.
“If the regime’s election comes to our land, in all seven battalion districts, we will do our best to stand against it. We are willing to tell people how we oppose it and will fight against it,” added Saw Kale Say, who noted that the KNU does not recognize the military’s 2008 constitution. The regime elections are tentatively scheduled for November.
The National Unity Government (NUG) claimed that its People’s Defense Force (PDF) and ethnic armed groups have seized 144 out of 330 townships nationwide with 79 townships contested. The regime, which seized power after the 2021 military coup, has 107 townships under its control. Pro-democracy groups are calling on the international community not to accept any regime-planned election.
Chinese New Year to be held in Lashio
The Lashio Reconstruction Team announced on Friday that the Chinese New Year will be celebrated starting from today until the end of February in Lashio Township of northern Shan State. Reports of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) retreating from Lashio in June have been denied by a BBC source “close to military affairs.”
“We have not received any order to retreat and continue to remain in Lashio. The town is operating normally,” an MNDAA source told DVB last week. Lashio is located 107 miles (172 km) south of the Burma-China border town of Muse, in northern Shan State, and 243 miles (391 km) north of the Shan State capital Taunggyi in southern Shan.
The regime and the MNDAA signed a formal ceasefire agreement during the second round of China-brokered talks in Kunming on Jan. 18. The United Wa State Army (UWSA) granted permission for the free passage of goods through “Wa State”, known officially as the Wa Self-Administered Zone, to the Kokang Self-Administered Zone of northern Shan State on Jan. 20.
ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights oppose cybersecurity law
The ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) announced on Friday that it opposes the regime’s new cybersecurity law, warning that it poses a profound threat to fundamental freedoms and directly contradicts its 2008 constitution. It added that this legislation is an attempt to suppress dissent, stifle free expression, and violate the privacy of Burma’s citizens.
“As parliamentarians committed to defending human rights, we stand unequivocally with the people of Myanmar and the activists, journalists, and civil society groups who are directly threatened by this oppressive measure,” said Mercy Chriesty Barends, the APHR co-chairperson and member of Indonesia’s House of Representatives.
The law criminalizes the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), an online circumvention tool used by netizens to access blocked websites and social media platforms. The regime has made efforts to monitor, censor, and control online activities, creating a climate of fear and constant surveillance since the 2021 coup.
News by Region
KAREN—The Phan Foundation announced on Monday that Padoh Naw Shee Wah, the secretary of the emergency support committee for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Hpa-An District, is the winner of the 2024 Padoh Mahn Sha Young Leader Award. She will receive $4,000 USD to support her work in the Karen community.
“Since I started to get involved with community work, I never dreamt of receiving an award like this, and it is very unexpected for me. It is a great encouragement for me, and also for other young community leaders to keep going and to keep helping our society,” said Padoh Naw Shee Wah. The Phan Foundation gives the Padoh Mahn Sha Young leader award annually.
KARENNI—The Karenni Political Prisoners Association (KPPA) told Myitkyina News Journal that 20 political prisoners at Loikaw Prison are suffering from malnutrition. They accuse the prison authorities of cutting food rations and forbidding prisoners from family visitations since Karenni resistance forces launched an offensive on Loikaw on Nov. 11, 2023.
“The military troops position themselves in the prison so the prisoners cannot walk or do any exercises. This combined with malnutrition may lead to weakness in limbs,” Aung Myo Kyaw from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) told DVB. Loikaw Prison has over 400 inmates, including around 120 political prisoners, according to the Myitkyina News Journal.
MANDALAY—The People’s Defense Force (PDF) told DVB that at least 20 people, including PDF members and doctors from the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), were killed and more than 20 others were injured by airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force on Singood village of Myingyan Township on Sunday. Myingyan is located 66 miles (106 km) southwest of Mandalay.
“Two aircrafts opened fire and dropped bombs over the school in the village. There is a clinic operated by the resistance forces inside the school,” a PDF member told DVB, who added that it was destroyed along with more than three homes. The number of casualties is still being determined by the PDF. Telecommunication networks in the village have been cut off by the regime.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,580 MMK)
Watch: Min Maw Kun film fundraiser to assist Myanmar refugees. Find DVB English News on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads & TikTok. Subscribe to us on YouTube.
