FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM
Kyaw Moe Tun to stay as Burma’s UN ambassador
The United Nations General Assembly Credentials Committee has renewed the status of Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun as Burma’s Permanent Representative to the UN, according to VOA. The UN has refused to recognize the junta-picked appointee. Kyaw Moe Tun took up the ambassador post in New York in 2020 prior to the military coup. Kyaw Moe Tun represents Burma’s National Unity Government (NUG), which consists of elected lawmakers unable to take their posts due to the coup, along with several other leaders from communities across the country.
Junta snubs dialogue with ethnic armed groups
The junta’s National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee (NSPNC) refused to meet seven National Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) signatories in Thailand on Dec. 12. Saw Kyaw Nyunt is a spokesperson for the seven ethnic armed organization (EAO) signatories: Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), Democratic Benevolent Karen Army (DKBA), Karen Peace Council (KNU/KNLA-PC), Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), New Mon State Party (NMSP), Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO) and the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS). “We requested to start a dialogue with a few representatives in Chiang Mai, but we were told that it was not ready,” said Saw Kyaw Nyunt.
News by Region
BAGO—The Pyay Prison Court sentenced Kyaw Zayya to an additional nine years in prison on Dec. 12. The representative of the Pyay Township Regional Hluttaw, Kyaw Zayya, was convicted under the Myanmar Liquor Act and Natural Disaster Law, according to a source from Pyay prison. He was previously sentenced to 10 years under the Counter-Terrorism Law and for electoral fraud.
MANDALAY—A District Court sentenced Sue Sha Shin Thant to 22 years in prison on Dec. 12. Sue Sha is an LGBTQ+ activist convicted under Section 505(a) and (b) of the Penal Code for incitement, along with Section 302/114 for murder and Section 50(j) of the Counter-Terrorism Law. Sue Sha was arrested in October 2021 and is being held at Mandalay’s Obo prison.
An explosion injured four people at Zeus bar in Chan Aye Tharsan Township on Dec. 13. Urban guerrilla groups in Mandalay claimed responsibility for the attack and that Zeus bar sells drugs to its patrons. The groups stated that the attack was conducted in the morning when the bar was empty in order to prevent civilian casualties.
NAYPYIDAW—Security forces stopped a protest in Zabuthiri Township on Dec. 12. Protesters denounced the NUG and People’s Defence Force (PDF) for the alleged murder of a woman in Tamu. “People from the Union Solidarity and Development Party, Ma Ba Tha monks and military lobbyists protested the incident of Tamu,” a source told DVB. “They also brought paid workers to protest in Pobba Thiri Township on Dec. 8 but dispersed as security forces did not allow the gathering,” the source added.
Naypyidaw People’s Defense Force announced today that one of its members was killed after an arrest and interrogation in Lel Way Township from Dec. 1 to 3. The 19-year-old man’s family was told that he had died of a heart attack. His body was cremated in Pobba Thiri Township on Dec. 4.
SHAN—Burma Army shelling destroyed around 50 houses in Namhsan’s Konethar village, SHAN reported. The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) confirmed the destruction and claimed that the village was targeted. “Both sides suffered casualties, but we don’t know everything yet,” said Tar Aik Kyaw, a TNLA spokesperson. Fighting between the Burma army and the TNLA has escalated, forcing more than 1,000 locals to flee.
SAGAING—Locals identified the bodies of five men that were killed by the Burma Army in Pay Pin Chaung village, Kawlin Township on Dec. 11. “They were not able to run away when the military column attacked,” a local told DVB. A total of 224 houses in the township have been burned down since Dec. 9. Over 20,000 civilians were displaced from their homes due to the fighting in Kawlin. They are in urgent need of food and blankets.
YANGON—One person was wounded in an explosion in North Dagon Township on Dec. 12. “A man fell down and was bleeding on the ground. After a while, military vehicles arrived and they were taken away in an ambulance,” a local told DVB. At least 12 people in Yangon have been injured in attacks since the beginning of December.
The Bank of China (BOC) held an event for Yangon university students on Dec. 9. The BOC China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) has given out scholarships and grants to 100 students at the University of Yangon. Than Than Swe, the chairperson of the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM), claimed that the junta’s cooperation with the BOC is “mutually beneficial.” The CBM granted the BOC an official banking license in April 2020.
DVB READS—Pencilo introduces her fifth book “Burma Spring Revolution: 100 Days of Darkness” published in South Korea. DVB English is on-demand, via YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify, or your favorite podcast listening app: link.chtbl.com/dvbenglish
