FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM
More people flee in Sagaing
There are now 50,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) from Kawlin after the town was evacuated on Nov. 7, stated the People’s Defense Force (PDF). It seized control of Kawlin on Nov. 6.
Ten bodies were recovered, assumed to have been civilians, in Kawlin. Residents are in need of food, medicine, and fuel due to the Burma Army road blockades and lack of telecommunications services.
Chinese citizen killed due to Laiza shelling
A Chinese citizen was killed and three were injured on Nov. 4. “They conducted airstrikes on Laiza but the shells landed on China’s side. Three of the injured are now in a hospital. The military apologized to Beijing. They are still holding discussions about the airstrike,” said an unnamed source from the regime’s Air Defense Forces.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that Beijing “expresses strong dissatisfaction with the escalation of the armed conflict and the casualties caused to Chinese personnel, and has lodged a solemn protest with relevant parties.” He added that Beijing will take measures to protect its citizens.
An unnamed military official told DVB that the regime sought cooperation with China to stabilize the border area but has yet to receive a response. Laiza is located near the China-Burma border and is the headquarters of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA/KIO).
UN ‘alarmed’ about fighting in northern Shan State
The U.N. expressed concern about fighting between the Brotherhood Alliance and the military on Nov. 6. “We are alarmed by the heavy fighting, particularly in Shan State in the northern part of the country, with reports of… airstrikes that led to civilian casualties and tens of thousands being newly displaced internally,” said Stéphane Dujarric, the U.N. secretary-general spokesperson.
Dujarric added that nearly 33,000 people have been displaced from their homes. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the protection of civilians and for unrestricted access to humanitarian aid in northeast Burma.
The Brotherhood Alliance – made up of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Arakan Army (AA) – launched its offensive against the military in northern Shan State on Oct. 27.
Military commander killed in Monekoe Township
Aung Kyaw Lwin, the commander of the Burma Army’s 99th Light Infantry Division (LID), was killed along with 31 other military personnel during fighting in Monekoe Township, located in northern Shan State on Nov. 5. This is according to an unnamed source close to the military’s Central Command.
Aung Kyaw Lwin was transferred from the No. 8 Operations Command headquarters, under the Coastal Regional Military Command, to the 99th LID Headquarters in June. At least 298 Burma Army troops have been killed in the fighting in northern Shan since Oct. 27, according to sources linked to the 99th LID.
Min Aung Hlaing meets with Russian navy chief
Regime leader Min Aung Hlaing met with Russian Navy Chief Nikolai Yevmenov at Thilawa port in Yangon on Nov. 6, regime media reported. The two met ahead of the Burma-Russia Maritime Security Exercise from Nov. 7-9. Naypyidaw and Moscow have established increasingly close relations since the 2021 coup.
The Burma-Russia exercise in the Andaman Sea will involve both aircraft and naval vessels and “comprises prevention of air, water surface and underwater dangers and maritime security measures,” regime media added.
News by Region
KACHIN—The pro-regime Lisu National Development Party (LNDP) is reportedly planning to conscript ethnic Lisu men to fight the KIA. “In 2022, the [LNDP] party chair Shwe Min started recruiting Lisu men to serve in the army. But now, it is more like he is giving orders for one Lisu man per household to serve in the military,” said a Waingmaw resident.
The Lisu expressed concerns that the forced conscription may cause the KIA to view all as pro-military. The recruitments will start in Waingmaw Township but it will also take place in other townships.
SHAN—Forty-one civilians have been killed by the Burma Army since the Brotherhood Alliance launched its offensive on Oct. 27, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army claimed.
“We tried not to harm civilians during the clashes but some civilians were injured. Forty-one civilians were killed and 102 were injured by shelling and airstrikes from the Burma military,” said Tar Aik Kyaw, the TNLA spokesperson.
YANGON—More than 4.2 billion Myanmar kyat worth of contraband was confiscated at Yangon International Airport on Nov. 4, regime media reported. The haul included 16 gold bars with an estimated value of over 3.9 billion kyat, 259 iPhone 15 Pro Max devices, and $120,000 USD. These items were discovered in the possession of three passengers who did not provide official documentation for the goods.
(Unofficial rate: $1 USD = 3,270 kyat, Official rate: $1 USD = 2,100 kyat)
