FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM
Massacre in Rakhine State’s Ponnagyun Township
Ten bodies with gunshot wounds were discovered in Sin Inn Gyi village in Ponnagyun Township on Nov. 10. “People were hiding in the bomb shelters,” a local said. The killings came after the Arakan Army attacked three Burma Army vehicles with landmines near Sin Inn Gyi and Padaytha villages. Two civilians were killed by Burma Army shelling on Nov. 11.
Junta leader claims Naypyidaw will become a place for higher learning
The Naypyitaw State Academy opened in Zabuthiri Township. Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing said that it would have good teachers and facilities to make it rival the universities of Yangon and Mandalay. Striking teachers and university staff refusing to work under the military have joined the Civil Disobedience Movement since the 2021 coup.
Burma Army extorts motorists with unregistered vehicles in northern Burma
Burma Army troops have begun to demand bribes from unregistered car and motorcycle owners in townships across Sagaing Region and Kachin State, locals told DVB. Those unable to pay a bribe had their vehicles seized by troops. The Burma Army set up roadblocks in Myitkyina, Hpakant and Bhamo of Kachin State on Nov. 8. It did the same in Kawlin and Indaw of Sagaing Region on Nov. 10. “The troops seized motorcycles and used the good motorcycles in their patrols while the rest were forced to pay a bribe. Around 50 motorcycles have been seized by them,” a resident of Kawlin told DVB.
UN Secretary-General says international community has failed Burma
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed the situation in Burma, calling it “an unending nightmare for the people of that country, and a threat to peace and security across the region.” Guterres made this remark at a press conference at the ASEAN-UN Summit on Nov. 11 in Cambodia. Responding to a journalist’s question, Guterres said: “Everybody has failed in relation to Myanmar. The international community as a whole has failed.”
News by Region
YANGON—The house belonging to the National Unity Government (NUG) Foreign Minister Zin Mar Aung was reportedly seized by the junta on Nov. 9. Daw Zin Mar Aung’s home is located in Northern Okkalapa Township. A warrant for her arrest was issued under Section 50(A)/ 512 of the Counter-Terrorism Law.
KACHIN—Locals in Htoneyaepauk village of Mogaung Township have been forced to stand guard at a pro-junta militia camp since August. “The militias said the guarding is for community security” a resident told DVB. “If a household doesn’t have male for various reasons, a woman in that household has to [stand] guard. They have to do that because if they refuse, they will be fined,” another local explained.
MAGWAY—Myaing People’s Defense Force claims to have killed six Pyusawhtee members and injured three in Myaning Township on Nov. 12. The Myaing PDF commander Bo Letyar said that his battalion attacked 10 Pyusawhtee members harvesting the peanut fields planted by the refugees from the nearby village.
MON—Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) coalition forces seized a police station in Chaung Na Kwa village, Kyaikmaraw township on Nov.12. The Burma Army retaliated with airstrikes. Thousands of people are now trapped awaiting rescue from coalition forces.
SAGAING—Fighting in Homalin township has been ongoing since Nov. 11, according to locals. “The [Burma Army] together with the [Shanni Nationalities Army] has jointly conducted an offensive.” a local told DVB. Two civilian houses were reportedly damaged by the Burma Army. This forced locals to flee.
RAKHINE—Seventeen members of the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), including central committee member Khaing Mya Tha, were arrested by the Arakan Army (AA). The ALP announced on Nov. 10 that Khaing Mya Tha was arrested near the Burma-India border. Seventeen members of the ALP/ALA have been arrested by the AA since August.
Rakhine peace activist Saw Mra Razar Lin said that these ongoing arrests could destroy the unity felt among the Rakhine people. “As we try to succeed in our struggle, one group should avoid harming the other because it could harm national reconciliation,” she said. The ALP is a signatory of the National Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). It has met twice with junta officials in Naypyidaw following the coup.
The Burma Army conducted operations in Ponnagyun Township on Nov. 12, forcing thousands of locals to flee their homes. An airstrike occurred in Maungdaw Township, according to locals. “Two fighter-jets bombed the area around the village,” a villager said. “It is very scary. The villagers are already trying to flee,” another man said.
