Myanmar’s commemorates 79th Martyrs’ Day
A ceremony was held at the Martyrs’ Mausoleum in Yangon on Sunday to mark Burma’s 79th Martyrs’ Day, unfolding under intense surveillance and punctuated by a sharp public rebuke from the son of jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. Martyrs’ Day marks the July 19, 1947 assassination of independence hero General Aung San, and eight others, just months before the country broke from British colonial rule in 1948.
The historical anniversary was marked by a video address from Kim Aris, the grandson of Aung San and the youngest son of Aung San Suu Kyi. His mother, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and National League for Democracy (NLD) leader, has been held incommunicado by the regime in Naypyidaw for over five years since the Feb. 1, 2021 military coup.
In his statement shared on social media on July 19, Aris reiterated his urgent demand for the regime to provide “Proof of Life” for his mother. Aris noted that he has had no direct contact with her since her arrest. He also directly condemned the regime’s ongoing nationwide campaign to erase his grandfather’s physical legacy. Read more on our website
Bangladesh forms committee for Rohingya repatriation
Bangladesh has established an 11-member national committee headed by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to formulate a comprehensive strategy for Rohingya repatriation, the government announced on July 12. The committee must prepare a national action plan within 90 days, including ministries, law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
The body’s composition, dominated by military, police and intelligence officials, signals a shift towards prioritising security concerns over purely humanitarian approaches, analysts say. The announcement came less than two weeks after Rahman’s visit to Beijing, where discussions with Chinese leaders prominently featured the Rohingya crisis.
The Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division will serve as chief coordinator, while the director general of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) has been appointed member-secretary. The DGFI will provide secretarial and administrative support to the national committee. Read more on our website
Thailand rejects Chinese request to ban Myanmar documentary
The Thai government rejected a direct request from the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok to block the screening of a documentary detailing severe human rights abuses linked to a Chinese-backed copper mine in Burma’s Sagaing Region, press freedom advocates and prominent journalists confirmed this week.
The diplomatic friction centered on the June 15 screening of Blood Copper at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT). The DVB documentary in collaboration with Myanmar Witness, uses open-source intelligence (OSINT) to detail how regime forces have violently cleared villages in Salingyi Township to expand the Letpadaung Copper Mine.
According to sources, the Chinese embassy pressured the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs to cancel the event. But Bangkok ultimately declined to intervene, allowing the screening and panel discussion to proceed. Pravit Rojanaphruk, a prominent Thai journalist and senior staff writer for Khaosod English, verified the incident. Read more on our website
News by Region
CHIN—The military has declared full control over Thantlang Township, following what it described as a months-long “counter-terrorism operation.” The recapture of Thantlang, located 22 miles (35 km) west of the state capital Hakha, marks a significant development in a protracted conflict.
The town has been a fiercely contested battleground between regime and resistance forces since September 2021, when intense aerial bombardments forced the entire civilian population to flee. Both sides have launched repeated offensives to secure the area over the past five years. Read more on our website
MAGWAY—At least four civilians were killed and at least 50 homes destroyed across six villages in Pauk and Myaing townships July 13-15. According to an aid worker based in Myaing Township, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the four victims were between 50 and 60 years old.
They had been temporarily sheltering with relatives in Pauk’s Kannat, Myinkothit, and Kaingtawma villages when they were killed. The two townships, located 130 miles (209 km) north of the region’s capital, had a regime column comprising about 600 military personnel stationed. Read more on our website
SHAN—Residents in Ywangan Township told DVB that the bodies of San Tint, the vice-chair of the Danu National Democracy Party (DNDP), and local businessman Aung Win Sein, were recovered on Tuesday after they were reportedly abducted from their homes in Myinkyadoe village by an unidentified armed group on July 14.
The bodies were discovered in Ywangan’s Nyaungpingwa village, located within the Danu Self-Administered Zone (SAZ) of southern Shan. While no group has claimed responsibility for the double homicide, local sources indicated that San Tint had previously been warned by the PDF. Read more on our website
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