Min Aung Hlaing expected to retire as Commander-in-Chief
Regime leader Min Aung Hlaing reviewed his term as Burma’s commander-in-chief from 2011-2025 during a speech in Naypyidaw on Friday. The 69-year-old Senior General assumed his position as Burma’s eighth commander-in-chief in 2011 during Thein Sein’s Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) administration. He led a military coup that overthrew the National League for Democracy (NLD) government on Feb. 1, 2021.
Regime media reported on March 14 that Min Aung Hlaing addressed high-ranking officers from the Army, Navy and Air Force, stating that the military will uphold its “duties of protecting the country and the constitution” no matter who controls the government. A source in the military told DVB on the condition of anonymity that the event was a “farewell,” as Min Aung Hlaing expected to retire from the military and assume the presidency.
Sources told DVB that the Chief of the Military Security Affairs Corps and the Burma Army Ye Win Oo, who is Min Aung Hlaing’s confidant, will become the next commander-in-chief. Soe Win, the deputy commander-in-chief, is also expected to retire from his position and assume a role in the new “Union Consultative Council.” Burma’s Pyithu Hluttaw, or lower house of parliament, will convene for the first time today since the 2021 coup.
Watch our Newsroom interview with independent election analyst Htin Kyaw Aye on DVB English News YouTube or Spotify.
Kite enthusiast in Australia attempts world record for Myanmar
A former English teacher in Myanmar told DVB that he attempted to set a Guinness World Record for the “World’s Longest Individual Kite Flight” to raise funds for humanitarian work in Burma at Killarney Beach in Victoria, Australia, on Saturday. Angus Johnstone lived and worked in Yangon and Lashio, Shan State, from 2012-2019. He also worked as a volunteer teacher in 2011 for students from Burma in Mae Sot, Thailand.
“The purpose [was] to raise money for humanitarian aid in Myanmar and border areas, focusing on education and healthcare,” Angus Johnstone told DVB. “I will provide the funds through friends from Myanmar and trusted NGO organizations.” His GoFundMe campaign raised $15,187 AUD ($10,614 USD). “My love for kite flying and my love for Myanmar – I want to combine those two loves of my life,” he added.
Johnstone said to break the Guinness World Record for longest individual kite flight, he had to keep his kite airborne non-stop for at least 24 hours without sleep. He added that his friends assisted him with food, water, and other necessities. “Flying a kite like this is one way to help a little bit on the ground, but also to raise awareness and show solidarity with people in Myanmar who might feel forgotten,” he told DVB.
International Day of Action for Rivers in Karen State
The International Day of Action for Rivers and Against Dams was held along the Salween River in Bu Tho Township, Karen State, on Saturday. Civil society organizations, environmental activists, and Indigenous Karen leaders, gathered to issue a public declaration against the construction of large-scale dam projects along both the Salween and the Irrawaddy rivers being initiated by the regime in Naypyidaw.
“Rivers are a great gift from nature. They are the lifeblood of indigenous peoples. We cannot accept anything that harms these rivers. It is essential for everyone to unite and strongly oppose such actions,” Saw Phoe Htoo, the Karen Youth Organization (KYO) environmental Coordinator, told DVB. He cited river pollution and the loss of livelihoods for communities living along river banks in Burma as the reason for the action.
In November and December 2025, researchers from Chiang Mai University (CMU) conducted a water quality test in the Salween River and discovered arsenic, lead, and mercury contamination. The acceptable standard for arsenic in rivers should be 0.01 milligram per liter but 0.55 milligram per liter, which is 55 times above the safety limit, was found in some areas of the Salween, according to the CMU researchers.
Stay tuned to DVB English News for our Newsroom interview with Karen environmentalist Paul Sein Twa this Friday.
News by Region
KAREN—Residents in Myawaddy Township told DVB that three Chinese nationals were killed and 10 others, including three members of the ethnic armed group Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), were injured at a DKBA-run casino in Hpulu village by artillery fired by regime forces on Friday.
A source from the DKBA told DVB that artillery has landed in areas under its control since February. Thai media has reported shells hitting homes across the border in Mae Sot, Thailand. Fighting along the Myawaddy-Wawlay road resumed this month between the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and regime forces.
SHAN—Residents in Kutkai town told DVB that the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) attacked the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) on Saturday, following a dispute over the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras on Feb. 13. Kutkai is located 47 miles (75 km) north of the regional capital Lashio.
A resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity that the MNDAA launched an attack on the TNLA with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), or drone. The MNDAA stated on March 14 that it was “retaliating” against the TNLA, which hasn’t commented on the fighting. The MNDAA and the TNLA seized Kutkai in 2024.
TANINTHARYI—Nearly 20 regime troops were killed as the KNLA and its allied People’s Defence Force (PDF) seized a regime outpost at Taung Yar Kan village in Palaw Township on Saturday, the Karen National Union (KNU) announced on March 14. Palaw is located 98 miles (157 km) south of the region’s capital Dawei.
Eh Nar, the KNU secretary for the districts of Myeik and Dawei, told DVB that the outpost served as a guard post for Palaw town. KNLA-led resistance forces seized the regime’s Winwa outpost on March 11. It is located on the road connecting Palaw to Thayetchaung Township.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,055 MMK)
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