Military personnel repatriated to Myanmar from Bangladesh
A total of 123 Burmese military personnel, who had fled to Bangladesh from attacks by the Arakan Army (AA) in northern Arakan State, were repatriated on Sunday in exchange for 85 Bangladesh nationals who had been imprisoned in Burma. A Burma Navy vessel transported the Bangladeshi nationals to Cox’s Bazar before returning to Burma with the military personnel on Saturday.
“Many soldiers fled Bangladesh to escape fighting in Maungdaw. They agreed to the exchange as they need to send more of their forces to Arakan State,” a military analyst told DVB. Bangladesh media reported that more than 800 military personnel have fled to Bangladesh this year.
At least 752 military personnel have been repatriated to Burma in exchanges between Naypyidaw and Dhaka in June, April, and February 2024. The AA has vowed to intensify its military offensive to take control of northern Arakan’s Maungdaw Township, which borders Bangladesh.
Latest airstrike on Lashio brings total killed to at least 10
A civilian was injured and an unknown number of homes were damaged by airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force in Lashio Township in northern Shan State yesterday. “Three bombs were dropped and aircraft flew around the town after the airstrikes. So, we hid inside our houses,” a Lashio resident told DVB.
The military has conducted at least 10 airstrikes on Lashio, killing nine civilians and injuring 42 others over the past month. The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) took control of the town after it seized the Regional Military Command (RMC) headquarters on Aug. 3.
Cyber scam suspects handed over to Chinese authorities
The military handed 20 China nationals suspected of being involved in cyber scam operations to Chinese authorities on Sept. 19. Regime media reported that they were arrested in Yangon and Mandalay in July, where they had been hiding since they fled from crackdowns on cyber scam centers in northern Burma.
China’s Ministry of Public Security claimed on Sunday that “the operation underscores the strong resolve and cooperation between China and Myanmar to combat transnational telecom fraud and jointly uphold security and stability,” Chinese state media reported.
Many cyber scam centers operating along the China border in northern Shan State have been dismantled since the Brotherhood Alliance launched “Operation 1027” on Oct. 27. Several cyber scam syndicates have moved operations to areas controlled by pro-military ethnic armed groups near the Thai border in Karen State, as well as to Cambodia and Laos.
Tokyo downgrades relations with Naypyidaw
Japan Today reported on Sunday that Tokyo will not send a new ambassador to Burma and its embassy in Yangon. Tokyo was reportedly concerned that appointing a new ambassador, who would be required to present their credentials to authorities in Naypyidaw, could confer legitimacy to the military regime.
“The importance of Myanmar [for Japan] will not change. We will explain this thoroughly to seek understanding,” a Japanese diplomatic source told Japan Today. Ichiro Maruyama, who has been Japan’s ambassador to Burma since 2018, will leave his post later this week.
Shogo Yoshitake, who is currently serving at Japan’s Embassy in Yangon, will take over Maruyama’s responsibilities as charge d’affaires. The U.S., South Korea, along with several European countries, have also refused to send new ambassadors to Burma since the 2021 military coup, instead appointing charge d’affaires.
News by Region
CHINLAND—Ten civilians in Paletwa Township in southern Chinland were arrested by the AA on accusations of supporting Chin resistance groups affiliated with the Chinland Council on Sept. 17. The Chinland Council opposes the presence of AA troops in Chinland.
“They have not yet been released,” a Paletwa resident told the news agency Chin World. The arrests were confirmed by the Interim Khumi Affairs Coordination Council, a political organization that represents the Khumi ethnic nationality that predominantly lives in Paletwa Township.
KAREN—The Karen National Union (KNU) and the Democratic Party for a New Society (DPNS) declined the regime’s invitation to disarm and take the “political path” made on Sept. 26.
“We tried talks with the regime but the military never kept its promise,” Padoh Saw Taw Nee, the KNU spokesperson, told DVB. Aung Moe Zaw, the DPNS chairperson, said the regime is trying to fracture the anti-coup resistance by inviting groups to join its elections, tentatively scheduled for November 2025.
YANGON—The military announced that it has arrested 12 members of a resistance group calling itself the Anonymous Force in Yangon from Sept. 24-27. Some of its members were also arrested in Bago Region’s Oktwin Township. Regime media reported that the 12 were accused of being involved in the killing of two administrators in South Dagon Township last May and on Sept. 20.
“Administrators from South Dagon who resigned after the coup were arrested. Some civilians from two wards [in South Dagon] were also arrested,” an anonymous source close to the regime’s administration office in the township told DVB. The regime claimed that the 12 received training from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) last November.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,750 kyat)
