Min Aung Hlaing says parliament to convene in March
Regime leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said that the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, or Burma’s bicameral legislature, will be convened in March during his speech to military personnel at the Eastern Central Regional Military Command (RMC) in Kholam town, Nansang Township, in Shan State on Tuesday. Kholam is located 109 miles (175 km) east of the Shan State capital Taunggyi.
He added that he will transfer “state responsibilities” to the political party that wins in the military’s 2025-26 elections which began on Dec. 28 and will end on Jan. 25. Htin Kyaw Aye, an independent election analyst, told DVB that Min Aung Hlaing will appoint himself or a loyalist as president of Burma once the military-proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) formally wins and forms the next government.
The Union Election Commission (UEC) announced that the USDP won 52 out of 78 seats in the Amyotha Hluttaw, or upper house of parliament, and 175 seats out of 202 seats in the Pyithu Hluttaw, or lower house of parliament, after two rounds of voting in 202 of Burma’s 330 townships on Dec. 28 and Jan. 11. A party can appoint the president if it wins 295 of 588 seats from 265 townships, according to the 2008 Constitution.
Regime administration returns to Mandalay Region’s Mogok
Residents of Mogok Township in Mandalay Region told DVB that an unknown number of regime employees arrived in the town on Monday. Mogok was handed over to the regime in Naypyidaw by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) on Nov. 28, as part of a China-brokered ceasefire deal. Mogok, located 124 miles (200 km) north of Mandalay, was seized by the TNLA in July 2024.
“Regime employees, including police and administration officials, have arrived [in Mogok]. I think this is only the first phase and more will follow,” a Mogok resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. DVB is unable to independently verify this claim. DVB requested comment from the National Unity Government (NUG), but has received no response by the time of publication.
Regime media reported on Jan. 21 that the military reopened the 55 mile (88 km) long road connecting Mogok and Thabeikkyin townships, 90 miles (144 km) north of Mandalay, on Jan. 19. The NUG stated on Dec. 24 that its People’s Defence Force (PDF) had captured a regime outpost and a village in Mogok, but has not shared any updates on the situation since then.
Myanmar-Russia relationship includes 30-day visa-free travel
Visa-free travel between Myanmar and Russia will begin on Jan. 27, according to a statement released by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday. The total period of stay must not exceed 90 days during a calendar year, the Jan. 19 statement added.
The agreement between the Naypyidaw and Moscow was signed in Belarus’ capital Minsk on Oct. 28, according to the statement. Russia added that citizens of the two countries may visit for the purpose of tourism for up to 30 days per trip, but entry will not be permitted for permanent residence, study, or employment.
Min Aung Hlaing has visited Russia at least six times since he led a military coup on Feb. 1, 2021 that ousted the government led by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party, which won back-to-back landslide victories in 2015 and 202 against the military proxy USDP. Read more
News by Region
ARAKAN—Sources close to the United League of Arakan / Arakan Army (ULA/AA), Department of Education told DVB that it has been accepting applications for its first-ever medical training school, as well as for diploma programs offered in English, accounting, and agriculture in territory under its control since Dec. 24.
A source inside the ULA/AA Education Department told DVB on the condition of anonymity that applicants are students under age 35 who have been unable to continue their education elsewhere in the country due to fighting between the AA and regime forces, as well as travel restrictions placed on residents by the military. Read more
KARENNI—Residents of Mese Township told DVB that many have fled their homes across the border into Thailand’s Mae Hong Son Province since Monday. Over 80 regime troops broke out of a prison run by the Karenni Interim Executive Council (IEC) on Jan. 18, but one was arrested by Thai police in Mae Hong Son on the same day.
Banyar Aung, secretary 2 of the IEC, told DVB that the two prison guards who were “taken” captive by escapees most likely assisted them in their escape. Mese is located along the Burma-Thailand border and 109 miles (175 km) south of the state capital Loikaw. It was seized by the Karenni resistance in November 2023.
SHAN—The TNLA announced on Tuesday that it granted amnesty to 15 prisoners “convicted of various criminal offenses” and 111 individuals detained during fighting with regime forces to mark the 63rd anniversary of Ta’ang National Revolution Day on Jan. 12. It also reduced the sentences of 55 others.
The TNLA held a ceremony in Manton Township, located in the Palaung Self Administered Zone 106 miles (170 km) north of Lashio. Founded in 1963, the TNLA is a member of the Brotherhood Alliance, which includes the AA and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA). It signed a ceasefire with the regime on Oct. 29.
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Join the Swedish Burma Committee and DVB for a night of short documentaries from the 2025 Peacock Film Festival today in Stockholm.
