Naypyidaw and southern Chinland impacted by floods
Residents of Oattarathiri and Pyinama townships in Naypyidaw were evacuated from their homes due to flooding as the water level in the Ngaklite and Sinthay creeks increased due to heavy rain on Saturday. In Paletwa Township of southern Chinland, nearly 1,500 residents are in need of emergency assistance due to floods there.
“There will be more flooding if the rain continues,” said a Pyinmana resident. A rescue worker in Paletwa told DVB: “All villages in the township flooded. Farms and around 50 homes have been destroyed. Many livestock have perished too.”
The Myanmar Fire Services Department claimed that it helped clear water inside the Ocean Shopping Center and other homes in Oattarathiri Township in Naypyidaw over the weekend. Paletwa residents are in need of food and medicine, according to rescue workers.
Regime wants banks to accept digital payments
The Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) has urged private banks to cooperate with the regime in adopting a digital currency platform for paying salaries to civil servants. It stated that this would reduce the need for printing cash and prevent inflation by minimizing cash usage.
“The main problem is infrastructure. You can’t do it with just one bank. Telecom companies would also be needed for this,” said an economic and policy expert on the condition of anonymity. “Digital currency is good, but communications are a problem,” said Aung Thu Nyeen, the director of communication at the Institute for Strategy and Policy – Myanmar (ISP Myanmar).
Aung Thu Nyeen told DVB that there are significant challenges in implementing a digital currency payments system nationwide. He added that the CBM still has much work to do. Civil servants from 34 different departmental offices in Naypyidaw have had their salaries paid with digital currencies since May 2023.
Arakan Army accused of ‘Naf River Massacre’
Rohingya human rights groups issued a joint statement accusing the Arakan Army (AA) of responsibility for drone and artillery attacks that targeted hundreds of Rohingya in Maungdaw Township, northern Arakan State. on Aug. 5. It claimed that at least 200 Rohingya were killed, including women and children.
“The Naf River Massacre follows a pattern of similar drone strikes by the AA on urban wards of Maungdaw town and its surrounding Rohingya villages in recent weeks. It also follows ground reports indicating that Rohingya civilians are being strategically targeted by the AA and the Myanmar military with atrocities,” said the statement.
The human rights groups called on the AA to cease attacks on civilians and to stop using hate speech against the Rohingya. They also requested that U.N. officials be allowed to enter areas under AA control in northern Arakan to investigate and hold the perpetrators of crimes accountable. The AA said it would investigate after it takes full control of Maungdaw. Read more here.
News by Region
SAGAING—The Kachin Independence Army (KIO/KIA), alongside the Kachin People’s Defense Force (KPDF) and the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF), seized seven military outposts in Tigyaing Township on Aug. 23. The KIA-led forces launched an attack on Aug. 21.
“A significant amount of weapons and ammunition was captured from their camps,” a KPDF spokesperson told DVB. The number of casualties from both sides is unknown. But the KPDF added that the military suffered more casualties than KIA-led forces.
YANGON—A representative of a foreign employment agency told DVB that immigration officials at Yangon International Airport prevented four individuals under age 40 from traveling on Aug. 21. The four were holding PV (visitor) passports and were not given a reason why they were denied being allowed to leave the country.
“It seems they were not trusted because they had never traveled abroad before, despite having official PV documents,” said the representative. “Many people were sent home from the airport,” said a woman who was prevented from departing the country. The regime has imposed travel restrictions on citizens since it activated its conscription law on Feb. 10.
The regime has instructed Yangon residents that they must register their household lists with ward administrators in order to obtain a booklet which will allow them to purchase edible oil. These booklets are required to purchase edible oil at the fixed price set by the regime.
“It’s similar to the old cooperative system, you can only buy items with the books they provide. I was told to go to the ward office with a list of household members to get the book,” a Yangon resident told DVB. Min Aung Hlaing promoted economic cooperatives during a meeting in Naypyidaw on July 29. The cooperative system was used under Burma’s socialist system from 1962-88.
Read: Echoes of 2017: Genocide, civil war & the moral dilemma of a nation by Jaivet Ealom.
