Myanmar armed group accused of drug trafficking by Thailand
Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand’s former Prime Minister and the father of current Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, has urged Bangkok to intensify its anti-drug war against the United Wa State Army (UWSA). Thaksin stated that the Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs Maris Sangiampongsa will meet with representatives of neighbouring countries to compel the UWSA to cease drug production.
“If [Burma] claims it cannot manage the issue because it involves ethnic minority groups, we may need to take direct action ourselves,” he said at an anti-narcotics meeting in Bangkok on May 27. In response to Thaksin’s claims, the UWSA spokesperson Nyi Rang shared on social media that preventing and blocking drugs completely is not easy despite the UWSA “continuous efforts to eliminate it.”
Hopang, Mongmao, Panwai, Nahpan, Metman and Pangsang townships in Shan State are recognized as the Wa Self-Administered Zone. But the UWSA also controls territory along the Burma-Thai border, which it considers the southern part of its autonomous “Wa State.” The UWSA has faced accusations of recent border intrusions in Thailand’s Mae Hong Son and Chiang Mai provinces.
Magway Prison officials accused of killing 5 inmates
Three more political prisoners were reported dead after prison officials allegedly opened fire to curb a “confrontation” at Magway Prison in Magway Region on April 13. This brings the total killed to five, according to the Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM). More than 200 political prisoners have been held in confinement without access to healthcare or family visits since the confrontation, PPNM added.
“At least 50 political prisoners were wounded [by prison officials] during interrogation,” Thaik Tun Oo, the PPNM spokesperson, told DVB, adding that they have not received sufficient medical attention. He accused prison officials of beating over 400 political prisoners accused of being involved in the confrontation on April 13.
This is when fighting broke out between the People’s Defence Force (PDF) and regime troops near the prison and some prisoners attempted to escape, according to the PPNM. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has documented that a total of 22,062 political prisoners have been detained since the 2021 military coup.
UN Human Rights Myanmar Chief James Rodehaver
James Rodehaver, the head of the Myanmar team at the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), sat down with the DVB Newsroom to discuss how the U.N. documents human rights violations and crimes committed by the military in Burma since the 2021 coup.
“What my office is doing is tracking these attacks very carefully and trying to utilize the data in order to urge parties on the ground to take more measures to protect civilians. And also to do public advocacy so people know that these attacks are happening, who is responsible for them, and most importantly to show that the ceasefire that has been declared is no ceasefire at all,” Rodehaver told DVB.
Watch DVB Newsroom season 2 episode 17 featuring UN Human Rights Myanmar Chief James Rodehaver on DVB English News YouTube or Spotify. If you want to listen to it as audio, find and follow us on Apple Podcasts, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, or wherever pods are cast.
News by Region
MANDALAY—Tens of thousands of Natogyi Township residents have fled their homes due to fighting between the People’s Defense Forces (PDF) and regime forces since May 15. Natogyi is located 67 miles (108 km) south of Mandalay.
“The fighting remains intense,” a PDF member told DVB. It launched a simultaneous offensive against regime outposts in Myingyan, Natogyi, Taungtha, and Ngazun townships on May 15. At least nine PDF members have been killed so far, according to the PDF on May 19.
SHAN—The National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), based in Eastern Shan State Special Region 4, met with regime leader Min Aung Hlaing at the Triangle Regional Military Command headquarters in Kengtung Township on Sunday. Kengtung is located 172 miles (277 km) east of the state capital Taunggyi.
Regime media reported that the NDAA agreed to collaborate on regional stability, as well as education and health. Since the 2021 coup, the NDAA has participated in at least four peace meetings with the regime in Naypyidaw. It declared its neutrality following the launch of Operation 1027 in October 2023.
TANINTHARYI—More details have emerged about the 40 Rohingya, which includes 27 men and 13 women, who are under the care of an unnamed resistance group in Launglone Township. The 40 arrived ashore on May 9. Launglone is located 12 miles (19 km) south of the region’s capital Dawei.
“They were put on a flight to Port Blair, which is the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. And from there they were apparently beaten,” Chris Lewa, the director of The Arakan Project, told DVB. “The women apparently were not beaten up and they were [all] put on a boat by the [Indian] Navy.”
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