Nearly 3.3 million people displaced nationwide

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has documented that nearly 3.3 million people have become Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) nationwide. Nearly 400,000 people have also been impacted by flooding caused by heavy rainfall, according to UNOCHA. 

“Across Myanmar, people are facing the painful consequences of widespread conflict and devastating disaster. The spiraling crisis has pushed many people into survival mode,” said Christina Powell, the U.N. humanitarian affairs officer in Myanmar, on Monday. She added that 18.6 million people require emergency assistance on World Humanitarian Day Aug. 19.

Marcoluigi Corsi, the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator, and Sajjad Mohammad Sajid, the head of office at UNOCHA Myanmar, met with the regime’s deputy Foreign Minister Lwin Oo in Naypyidaw on Monday. Regime media reported that humanitarian aid deliveries were discussed, as well as visas for foreign nationals employed by the U.N. in Burma.

Arakan Army asked to grant access to northern Arakan State

The Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M) released a statement on Monday asking the Arakan Army (AA) to allow humanitarian aid into northern Arakan State, along with international investigators. This request comes after over 200 Rohingya were targeted by artillery and drone attacks in Maungdaw Township near the Bangladesh border on Aug. 5. 

“The ULA/AA has said that it is committed to upholding the human rights of all ethnic and religious communities living in Rakhine. Now it must prove it,” stated SAC-M in a press release. It called on the AA, which launched its most recent offensive against the military in Arakan State on Nov. 13, to act immediately to protect all civilians under international law.  

The AA has denied accusations that it is responsible for the death of civilians in areas under its control. Human rights groups claimed that Rohingya have been targeted by both the military and the AA during fighting in northern Arakan State since May. The SAC-M was founded by former U.N. experts Yanghee Lee, Marzuki Darusman, and Chris Sidoti to support democracy in Burma.

Documentary filmmaker dies after release from Insein Prison

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Pe Maung Same, 50, died at a hospital in Yangon on Monday, three days after his release from Insein Prison. He was arrested in Loikaw, Karenni State on May 18, 2022 and later charged under Section 17(1) of the Unlawful Association Act and sentenced to three years in prison. 

“I was told that he was beaten severely for two days in an interrogation center. He was drugged and he didn’t even remember what he had said [to his interrogators]. He was left on the floor and not fed anything during his interrogation. His ribs were broken as a result and his body was unable to move,” the wife of Pe Maung Same recounted to DVB. 

Pe Maung Same was first hospitalized in April. He was transferred from Loikaw Prison to Nyaungshwe Prison in Shan State, then to Insein Prison in Yangon on July 13, where he received treatment until his health condition worsened and he had to be transferred to a private hospital. The son of cartoonist Pe Thein, Pe Maung Same worked at the Yangon Film School. His funeral will be held at the Yayway cemetery in Yangon on Wednesday.

News by Region

ARAKAN—The Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) issued a statement on Tuesday calling on the international community to protect the Rohingya and to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in northern Arakan’s Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships.

“The situation in Rakhine State is a humanitarian catastrophe demanding immediate and sustained international intervention. The Rohingya cannot endure another tragedy while the world remains silent,” said Tun Khin, the BROUK president. He also called on the AA and the military to adhere to international law. 

KACHIN—The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) stated that it seized control of the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 437 in Momauk Township, located in southern Kachin State, on Monday. Some military personnel from the LIB 437 retreated during the fighting.

“We are currently clearing the base. Their aircraft came and fired upon us,” a KIA source told DVB. Three military vehicles, including an armored truck, were reportedly destroyed following the end of fighting between the KIA and the military in Momauk, which began on July 23.

MANDALAY—Four Chinese nationals and 17 from Burma, who allegedly ran a cyber scam business, were arrested by police at a home in Chanayetharsan Township on Sunday. “They were arrested together with four computers, two laptops, and other IT devices,” a source close to police told DVB. The 21 arrested have been charged under the Electronic Transaction Law and are being held at Chanayetharsan police station.

SAGAING—The military regained control of Tabayin Township, 40 miles (64 km) from the state capital Monywa, on Monday after the People’s Defense Force (PDF) seized it on Sunday. The PDF claimed that it was forced to retreat after retaliatory airstrikes were carried out and reinforcements arrived in the town. 

“We learned that the military airdropped troops from its Bilu column, which is notorious for cruelty. We want to tell the public to be careful,” a PDF spokesperson told DVB. Tabayin residents claimed that around 180 military personnel, including their family members and civil servants, surrendered. The PDF launched its attack on Tabayin Aug. 15.

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