Military defector killed in airstrike on NUG regional HQ
The regime’s Ministry of Information (MOI) reported on Friday that one Burma Air Force defector named Nay Win Aung was among an unknown number of people killed by regime airstrikes carried out on the National Unity Government (NUG) “Special Division Command” on Thursday. The NUG has not released an official statement on the attack or the number of casualties.
The People’s Defence Force (PDF) carried out search and rescue operations at the “Special Division Command” following the strikes. At least five PDF members were killed and an unknown number were injured, The coordinates of the undisclosed location were provided by military informants in the community and resistance forces, according to the regime.
Nay Phone Latt, the NUG spokesperson, told BBC Burmese in an interview that he rejects the claim that Naypyidaw has informants in PDF-controlled territory and dismisses the MOI report on Sept. 25 as a way for it to wage “psychological warfare” against resistance forces operating in territory it has seized since the uprising to the 2021 military coup began five years ago.
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Trump tells countries to quit the International Criminal Court
U.S. President Donald Trump urged countries to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC) immediately, calling it “evil” and “a rogue institution,” during his address to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday. But only the tiny Pacific island nation of Naoero, formerly known as Nauru, has followed suit in an announcement last week.
The Netherlands Prime Minister Rob Jetten told the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday that the ICC is “under attack” and at risk without naming the U.S. Trump’s appeal on Sept. 22 capped an escalating U.S. campaign against the Hague-based court, which Washington says oversteps its authority by claiming jurisdiction over citizens of countries.
While a handful of countries have moved to leave the ICC in recent years, many governments, particularly in Europe, have rallied to defend the Netherlands-based court as a cornerstone of international justice. Parties to the statute include 125 countries. Burma is not a signatory, but regime leader Min Aung Hlaing is the subject of an arrest warrant application.
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Learn about the ICC case against Min Aung Hlaing
Myanmar diaspora urges Japan to clarify lawmakers’ visits
Burma nationals living in Japan told DVB that they submitted a letter to the Japanese Foreign Ministry in Tokyo on Wednesday over visits to Naypyidaw by two Japanese lawmakers on Sept. 14 and 22. The letter, addressed to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, was submitted on behalf of a group called Myanmar Community in Japan.
“We asked the Japanese authorities to verify the purpose of the lawmakers’ visits to Naypyidaw, their meetings with regime officials, and how these activities relate to Japan’s diplomatic policy toward Myanmar,” said Myo Min Swe, a Myanmar national living in Tokyo. Hiromichi Watanabe and Shunsuke Takei visited Naypyidaw on Sept. 22 and Sept. 14.
During their visits, the two Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers met with Khin Yi, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) Chairperson. Watanabe reportedly invited Khin Yi to visit Japan. The concerns over Tokyo’s engagement with the regime in Naypyidaw come as Burma nationals in Japan continue to face difficulties with passport renewal.
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News by Region
ARAKAN—The United League of Arakan (ULA), the political wing of the Arakan Army (AA), announced the establishment of a 15-member “Arakha People’s Media Council” on Wednesday. Aung Marm Oo, the Development Media Group (DMG) chief editor, has been appointed to chair the newly-formed council.
According to the AA, the council was formed to protect the public’s right to access accurate information, defend press freedom and the rights of journalists, mediate and resolve media-related disputes, and carry out media development initiatives across AA-administered regions. Read the full article on our website
NAYPYIDAW—Ambassador to Thailand Zaw Zaw Soe was summoned by the regime to face interrogation in Naypyidaw over serious allegations of human trafficking and issuing documentation to political dissidents, according to sources within the regime’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
Ambassador Zaw Zaw Soe stands accused of colluding with Thai-based Burma business figures to facilitate the illegal entry of migrant workers into Thailand via the southern maritime transit point of Kawthaung, Tanintharyi Region, opposite Thailand’s Ranong Province. Read the full article on our website
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