Mandalay’s Mogok handed over to Myanmar military control
Nearly 100 military vehicles entered Mogok Township, Mandalay Region on Friday, as part of a China-brokered ceasefire deal between the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the regime in Naypyidaw reached one month earlier, on Oct. 29. Mogok is located 124 miles (200 km) north of Mandalay.
Soe Htay, a Mogok resident and pro-democracy activist, told DVB that the TNLA will keep a liaison office in Mogok town and continue operating mining sites in the township as the lucrative ruby mining industry is a source of revenue for both the regime and ethnic armed groups. He added that the People’s Defense Force (PDF), which assisted the TNLA in seizing and holding Mogok, has redeployed its troops outside of town.
Lway Yay Oo, the TNLA spokesperson, did not respond to a DVB request for comment. However, a PDF spokesperson told DVB earlier this month that the military has recaptured almost all of Madaya Township, which is located next to Mogok, and is preparing to launch a counteroffensive to retake neighbouring Singu Township. Singu is located 34-57 miles (54-92 km) north of Madaya and Mandalay. Read more
UN expert condemns US ending temporary protected status
Tom Andrews, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma, issued a statement on Thursday condemning the U.S. decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nearly 4,000 Burma nationals residing in the U.S. He stated that the move comes as the crisis since the 2021 coup continues to worsen with rising violence against civilians and the regime’s 2025-26 “sham” elections scheduled to begin on Dec. 28.
“[It’s] an assault on human rights and human decency based on a cruel fiction that ignores overwhelming evidence of Myanmar’s spiralling crisis,” said Andrews, adding that the forced return of Burma nationals from the U.S. could breach the international legal principle of non-refoulement. He urged the Trump administration to continue protecting them, most of which are journalists and pro-democracy activists.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that TPS for Burma nationals will end on Jan. 26, citing the regime elections as one of the reasons the country has been deemed safe. Andrews rejected this, adding that democratic leaders are in prison and their political parties have been banned. He warned that many TPS recipients could face arrest, torture, forced military conscription, or possible execution if returned. Read more
Mass surveillance ahead of regime elections, UN reports
The U.N. human rights office voiced concern on Friday that the regime in Naypyidaw was pressuring people into voting in the elections this month and that electronic voting machines and AI surveillance could help authorities to identify and arrest opponents. International officials have already raised concerns about the regime’s 2025-26 elections, starting on Dec. 28 and continuing into January 2026, calling it a “sham.”
The electronic voting machines did not allow people to leave their ballot blank or spoil it, meaning they had to pick a candidate, according to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). “There’s a real worry that this electronic surveillance technology is going to be used to monitor how people are voting,” said James Rodehaver, head of the OHCHR Myanmar team.
The regime intends “to enable all eligible voters to exercise their franchise freely and fairly in the upcoming general election”, regime media reported on Friday. Zaw Min Tun, the regime spokesperson, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. Rodehaver said his team is verifying reports that locals are being forced to attend military training sessions on how to use the electronic voting machines in contested areas. Read more
News by Region
ARAKAN—Six civilians, including children, were killed and seven were injured by an airstrike carried out by the Burma Air Force on Kyaungpho village of Kyauktaw Township on Friday. Kyauktaw, located 60 miles (96 km) northeast of the state capital Sittwe, was seized by the Arakan Army (AA) in February 2024.
“They were killed on the spot. The military bombed two places in the village,” a Kyauktaw resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity, adding that four homes were destroyed. A resident of a nearby village was killed and four others were injured by a regime airstrike on Feb. 9. Read more
CHINLAND—The People’s Defense Force (PDF)-Zoland told DVB that it seized ammunition and weapons after the Chin Brotherhood captured a military outpost at the entrance of Tedim Township on Thursday. Tedim, located 68 miles (109 km) north of the state capital Hakha, is contested between regime and resistance forces.
The PDF-Zoland told DVB that an undisclosed number of military personnel among the 60 deployed inside Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 269 were killed in the attack. Chin resistance forces have seized control of 14 townships in Chinland, including the Burma-India border town of Rihkhawdar.
YANGON—Film director Mike Tee and two actors were each sentenced to seven years in prison under the new Election Protection Law by the South Dagon, Yankin and Bahan township courts Nov. 25-28. The law carries a minimum sentence of three years in prison to a maximum sentence of death.
A source told DVB that the three men did not receive legal representation. They were arrested for criticizing a video created by the regime’s Union Election Commission (UEC) on Oct. 28. At least 264 people have been charged under the law with 40 arrested and eight convicted, according to DVB data.
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