Karen armed groups fail to reopen Asia Highway
Karen armed groups failed to reopen the vital transport link, the Kawkareik-Myawaddy portion of the Asia Highway in Karen State, during a meeting that was held on Sept. 24. The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), the Karen National Army/Border Guard Force (KNA/BGF), and the KNU/KNLA Peace Council attended the meeting.
“A lot of [our] lower-level members are not in favour [of reopening the highway],” a senior official of the Karen National Union (KNU) told DVB. A DKBA spokesperson told DVB that his group is in favor of reopening the highway, claiming that it is what the public wants. The highway is critical for Burma-Thailand border trade.
A trader told DVB that the closure of the highway has led to increased transportation costs and longer journey times for freight going to Yangon. Much of the Asia Highway has been under the control of the KNLA and People’s Defense Force (PDF) since March. The military has renewed its counter offensive to retake the highway since the second week of September.
Naypyidaw to send senior official to ASEAN summit
The military regime will send its Ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Aung Kyaw Moe to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Laos on Oct. 9, Nikkei Asia reported. This is the first time Naypyidaw is sending a senior diplomat to the summit since ASEAN barred top regime officials from its meetings in 2022.
The regime failed to adhere to the ASEAN Five Point Consensus, adopted in April 2021, which called for an end to all violence in Burma, the release of all political prisoners such as State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint. It also stipulated that the regime should begin dialogue with anti-coup resistance groups. ASEAN will also meet with diplomats representing Japan, China, South Korea, and the U.S. during the summit.
Aung Kyaw Moe attended the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting last July. Laos, the current chair of ASEAN, announced plans to host an international conference to discuss Burma’s political crisis with the ASEAN Troika, which includes Indonesia, Laos, and Malaysia. The ASEAN Troika meeting on Burma, announced in July, has yet to take place. Malaysia will take over as ASEAN chair in 2025.
US diplomat to discuss rights abuses in Burma with Thai officials
The U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack arrived in Bangkok, Thailand today and will hold talks with Thai officials about human rights abuses in Burma. She will also meet with civil society, experts, and organizations in Thailand.
“Ambassador Van Schaack will reiterate the U.S. commitment to seeking accountability for atrocities committed across Myanmar and to standing with and pursuing justice for survivors and victims,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement released on Wednesday.
The statement called on Burma to create conditions conducive for the safe repatriation of Rohingya refugees. Van Schaack is scheduled to leave Thailand on Monday. Over 700,000 Rohingya were forced into Bangladesh after a 2017 military clearance operation in northern Arakan State that was labeled a genocide by the U.S. in 2022.
News by Region
CHINLAND—Stab wounds were found on the bodies of three boat drivers recovered in southern Chinland’s Paletwa Township on Sept. 20. They were a father, son and grandson and had been transporting goods between Paletwa and Arakan State’s Kyauktaw Township. Their family lost contact with them on Sept. 2.
“We don’t know who killed them and why. The incident has made other boat drivers and commuters very worried,” a boat driver in Paletwa told DVB. Telecommunication services are unavailable in Paletwa. Merchants in Arakan have been conducting trade with India’s Mizoram State, via Paletwa, since the Arakan Army (AA) seized control of the township in January.
SAGAING—A civilian was injured and a school and hospital were damaged after the Burma Air Force conducted airstrikes on Maunghtaung village in Butalin Township, located around 23 miles (37 km) north of the Sagaing Region capital Monywa, on Wednesday.
“Two fighter jets from Tada-U and Meiktila dropped bombs and fired bullets into the village,” a Butalin PDF member told DVB. Maunghtaung is located near Sipa village, where the PDF detained around 20 military personnel as prisoners of war during an attack on a column of 80 troops on Sunday. It claimed that over 50 military personnel were killed during the attack.
SHAN—Chinese syndicates have set up cyber scam centers in Laihka Township, located around 90 miles (145 km) northwest of the Shan State capital Taunggyi, following crackdowns on their operations in northern Shan State in February.
“They exchange [Chinese yuan] for Burmese currency and spend large amounts, causing the prices of basic goods to triple. Locals have to rush to buy necessities because if they’re late, the Chinese will have already bought everything,” a Laihka resident told DVB. The cyber scam centers are guarded by pro-military militias.
Residents of Muse, Mongyai, and Tangyan townships said that the military collected census data in the downtown areas of the towns on Tuesday. The three towns are the only urban centers the military still controls in northern Shan State.
“They started collecting census data in the town on Oct. 1,” a Tangyan resident told DVB. The United Wa State Army (UWSA) has deployed troops in Tangyan since July 10. Ethnic armed groups control 18 out of northern Shan State’s 24 townships. The regime began its nationwide census on Tuesday, which will conclude on Oct. 15, in order to compile voter lists elections tentatively scheduled for November 2025.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,700 kyat)
