FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM
Residents confirm military control over Kawlin in Sagaing Region
Residents and resistance groups in Kawlin Township of Sagaing Region confirmed to DVB that the military has regained control over the town. Fighting has reportedly slowed down. The military launched its offensive on Feb. 3.
“The urban area is controlled by the military council. They maintain a strong hold on governmental offices, the school, and the police station. The situation is now calm,” the anti-military social media channel Kawlin Revolution told DVB.
Kawlin came under the control of resistance forces led by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the People’s Defense Forces (PDF) on Nov. 6. The National Unity Government (NUG) stated that it had established its administration in Kawlin after the seizure.
General Strike Coordination Body condemns conscription law
The General Strike Coordination Body (GSCB) condemned the People’s Military Service Law enacted on Feb. 10. It stated that mandatory military conscription will lead to more “war crimes against humanity.”
“It is a law that will force young people, who are the future of the country, to fight to the death in order to maintain [military] power,” Kyi Myint, a lawyer who assists political prisoners, told DVB.
Military personnel in Kalay of Sagaing Region, and other townships, have reportedly compiled lists with the names of male residents from the ages of 18 to 35 and women from 18 to 27. The GSCB urged the NUG and Ethnic Resistance Organizations (EROs) to offer shelter to those refusing conscription.
Thai and US officials discuss Burma during meeting
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Thailand’s Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara discussed diplomatic efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to address Burma’s crisis during a meeting in Washington D.C. on Feb. 12.
A statement released by the U.S. State Department said both countries “emphasized the urgent need to expand humanitarian assistance to displaced people in Burma.”
The two diplomats called on the military to pursue dialogue with all stakeholders, release political prisoners, end all violence, and return the country to civilian rule. Thailand is planning to establish a humanitarian aid corridor along its border to assist people displaced from their homes by the military.
News by Region
ARAKAN—The Arakan Army (AA) stated on Feb. 11 that the military killed a total of nine political prisoners in northern Arakan. Seven of their bodies were discovered in a bomb shelter near a military hospital in Mrauk-U on Jan. 31.
The bodies of Myat Thu Tun (aka Phoe Thiha), rapper Kyaw Zan Wai (aka Phoe Lapyae) and five others were recovered by the AA after it seized control of the 378th Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) base in Mrauk-U on Feb. 5.
The AA added that two residents from Rathedaung and Minbya townships were killed at the 379th LIB base in Minbya on Jan. 9. Arakan media outlets reported that all nine victims were jailed for criticizing the military.
It claimed that seven locals were killed and nine others were injured in an airstrike carried out on Kyauktaw Township on Feb. 11. Another military vessel was attacked and sunk in Minbya Township on Feb. 12. A total of four military ships have been allegedly sunk by the AA since Feb. 7.
BAGO—Residents in Pyay have said that regime authorities and military personnel have been collecting household lists in the town since Feb. 12. “My eldest son was added to the list. I have no idea what to do. I must do something to avoid him joining the army,” a Pyay resident told DVB.
Resistance groups have claimed that they have been contacted by an increasing number of people since the military announced its mandatory conscription law. “We are prepared to assist them,” a Pyay People’s Defense Force (PDF) member told DVB.
SHAN—The Shan State Progress Party (SSPP/SSA), Chin National Front (CNF), and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIA/KIO) issued a joint statement to the NUG to commemorate Union Day on Feb. 12. It is the first time the SSPP has sent a public message to the NUG since the 2021 coup.
The message expressed hope that the ongoing “Spring Revolution” would bring the implementation of the Panglong Agreement and put an end to the country’s internal conflicts. It also expressed the shared aspiration to establish “a federal union” and foster “peaceful coexistence among all ethnic groups.”
The Panglong Agreement was reached between the interim government of Burma led by General Aung San along with Kachin, Chin, and Shan leaders on Feb. 12, 1947. It was never implemented due to the assassination of Aung San later the same year.
