Myanmar on the agenda at the ASEAN 47th Summit in Malaysia
Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 2025 chair, he has worked with all sides to reduce violence in Burma before welcoming delegates to the ASEAN 47th Summit, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Sunday. He added that the ASEAN Five Point Consensus, the regional bloc’s peace plan for Burma, must be the starting point for peace and reconciliation.
“Lasting peace cannot be imposed; it must be Myanmar-owned and Myanmar-led,” said Anwar Ibrahim, who also highlighted that ASEAN is deepening economic engagement, widening trade, and enhancing competitiveness to reinforce regional stability. A regime delegation from Naypyidaw, led by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hau Khan Sum, arrived in Malaysia ahead of the summit on Oct. 23.
On Oct. 26, Thailand and Cambodia signed a ceasefire agreement in the presence of the U.S. President Donald Trump. Timor-Leste became ASEAN’s 11th member state, which is the first time in 26 years that ASEAN has admitted a new member. Also in attendance at the summit in Malaysia were U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney, and European Council President Antonio Costa.
Regime targets on Namtu in northern Shan State
Residents in northern Shan State told DVB that the regime counteroffensive is moving towards Namtu Township from Hsipaw, after the town was recaptured by regime forces from the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) on Oct. 17. Namtu is located 41 miles (66 km) north of Hsipaw and 42 miles (67 km) northwest of the regional capital Lashio.
A resident of Namtu told DVB on the condition of anonymity that the Burma Air Force carried out four airstrikes in the town on Oct. 23. No casualties were reported. The town has been attacked by the Air Force five times so far this month, according to residents. The TNLA seized Namtu in December 2023.
Pro-regime media reported that the TNLA destroyed the Moetay Bridge in an attempt to “block the military’s advance” on Oct. 18. The bridge crosses the Myitnge River along the Hsipaw–Namtu road. Namtu is one of 17 townships in Shan State where the Union Election Commission (UEC) announced that it will not hold its regime elections scheduled to begin on Dec. 28. Shan State has a total of 55 townships.
‘Purple Flowers Will Bloom’ book launch and exhibit in Chiang Mai
A new book called “Purple Flowers Will Bloom” by documentary photographer Khin Sandar Nyunt was launched with an accompanying exhibition showcasing her personal diary entries and photos from the conflict zone in Karenni State on Oct. 25 at Alliance Française de Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand.
“We created a small exhibition to collaborate on this book launch, where the exhibition is supporting the book launch. And then we also wanted to showcase the process of making this book as well. We want the audience to come and feel and touch the book and see the process of the book,” said Hnin Win, founder of the arts collective A New Burma.
The name “Purple Flowers Will Bloom” comes from one of Khin Sandar Nyunt’s poems written during her time on the frontline in Karenni State, where she saw purple flowers blooming during fighting between Karenni resistance forces and the military, which seized power in a 2021 coup. The exhibit is open until Oct. 31. Read more and check out our photos.
News by Region
AYEYARWADY—Twenty-four civilians were killed and at least eight others were injured by airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force on Sapyin village of Yekyi Township on Thursday. Yekyi is located 120 miles (190 km) west of the region’s capital Pathein.
“In the morning, they dropped 500-pound [226 kg] bombs using two jet fighters,” a Yekyi resident told DVB. “A total of two times.” Four children, three women, and 17 men were killed, and 17 homes were also destroyed in Sapyin village, residents told DVB. Read more
KAREN—Residents of Myawaddy Township told DVB that explosions and gunfire have been heard at KK Park, a cyber scam compound, since it was raided by regime forces on Oct. 23. Thailand’s Tak provincial office reported that 1,049 foreign nationals crossed from Myawaddy into Mae Sot Oct. 22-24.
“Explosions have occurred every day since the military raided KK Park,” a source who fled KK Park told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Regime media reported that it has detained 144 Chinese nationals during raids at KK Park. It claimed that 9,813 foreign nationals have been detained for “illegal entry” from cyber scam centers since Jan. 30.
YANGON—The Solidarity Trade Union of Myanmar (STUM) stated on Friday that its leader Myo Myo Aye still faces charges after being released from Yangon’s Insein Prison on Oct. 20. Myo Myo Aye was released on Oct. 20 along with union leaders Thet Hnin Aung and Thet Htar Swe.
“Although prison authorities announced her release under Section 494 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the court later ruled that the charges could not be withdrawn as the case remains under investigation,” the STUM stated on its official social media account on Oct. 24. Read more
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