The lead investigator at the UN Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) Nicholas Koumjian addressed a press conference in New York City, US, on Oct. 31. (Credit: Reuters)
Nicholas Koumjian, the head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), said that the “frequency and brutality” of war crimes has risen over the last 12 months, during his speech at the U.N. in New York City on Thursday.
“Very, very regrettably, the frequency and the brutality of crimes in Myanmar has only increased in the past year,” said Koumjian during a press conference on Oct. 31. “The number of casualties that have been affected by these attacks has increased.”
Koumjian added that the IIMM has gathered evidence of the systematic use of torture in detention by the regime authorities, which seized power in Naypyidaw following the 2021 military coup.
“Particularly note the very disturbing use of sexual violence and against those who are detained, and that includes against both women and men, people of all genders, of all sexual preferences and people, including against both adults and minors,” he said.
“Frequently they’ve been told to leave their homes, but there really is nowhere for them to go. They cannot cross the border, although some have managed to cross the border into Bangladesh, and Bangladesh has accepted some the borders generally closed. People have to pay bribes to get across into the safety of the refugee camps,” said Koumjian.
The IIMM is investigating and collecting evidence of crimes committed by all sides in the Myanmar crisis, including those committed by resistance forces, if it rises to the level to fall within the mechanism’s mandate, according to Koumjian.
“We’ve seen increasing evidence of very brutal crimes committed by opposition forces, and we’re concerned with that, and we want the message to go out. Our mandate is to collect evidence of the most serious international crimes committed in Myanmar, and that’s regardless of the ethnicity, religion, political persuasions of either the perpetrators or the victims,” he concluded.
The IIMM was established by the U.N. Human Rights Council on Sept. 27, 2018, and welcomed by the General Assembly on Dec. 22, 2018.
The funeral for Zaw Myint Maung, the National League for Democracy (NLD) vice-chair and Mandalay Region Chief Minister, was held in Mandalay on Oct. 8. (Credit: DVB)
Military arrests funeral service group members
Eight members of a funeral service group named M-Rescue, including its chair, were arrested by the military during a night time raid on its office in Mandalay on Oct. 26. The group helped transport the body of the recently-deceased Zaw Myint Maung, the former Mandalay Chief Minister and vice-chair of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, during his funeral on Oct. 8.
“It’s been about five days since they were arrested. We haven’t been able to make contact. We don’t know where they’re being detained, so we’re very worried,” a family member of one of those arrested told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The official reason for their arrests is currently unknown.
Several members of M-Rescue, including its chairperson, were also arrested shortly after the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021 for their alleged involvement in anti-coup protests. They were detained for one month and then released. Nay Soe Maung, the son-in-law of former military dictator Than Shwe, was arrested in Mandalay on Oct. 24 after he had attended Zaw Myint Maung’s memorial service.
Regime tightens grip on gold trading
The regime’s Ministry of Natural Resources & Environmental Conservation declared gold trading as an essential service on Wednesday. Under the directive, the ministry will be empowered to issue direct orders to control gold trading, including prices, in accordance with the Essential Goods and Services Act.
“I haven’t heard of such an order and if it is true then, traders are unable to trade gold independently,” a source close to the ministry told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The ministry stated that any individuals who violated the law may receive punishments of six months to three years in prison and face a fine of no more than 500,000 kyat.
Traders claimed that no instructions have been issued to businesses yet and gold markets in Yangon continue to operate normally. The Yangon Gold Entrepreneurs Association (YGEA) has pegged the price of a tical (0.0164 kg) of pure gold at 5.6 million kyat as of Oct. 29. Gold prices in Burma have surged since Chinese authorities restricted trade through gates along the Burma-China border in northern Shan and Kachin states.
Nicholas Koumjian, the head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), at a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland on Aug. 13. (Credit: UN)
UN states that ‘brutality’ of crimes in Myanmar has increased
Nicholas Koumjian, the head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), said that the “frequency and brutality” of war crimes in Burma has increased over the past year, during his speech at the U.N. General Assembly in New York City on Tuesday. He claimed that airstrikes conducted by the Burma Air Force have killed hundreds of civilians.
“In just the past few weeks, the [IIMM] has collected evidence of air strikes on an [Internally Displaced Persons] camp in Mandalay and [Karenni] State; markets, schools and a temple in northern Shan State; a wedding reception in Sagaing [Region]; and a number of villages in Rakhine [Arakan] State,” he recounted. “Arrests of people perceived to be opponents of the military are also increasingly frequent.”
Koumjian added that the IIMM has opened new investigations into human rights abuses committed in Sagaing and Magway regions, as well as Kachin and Shan states. The U.N. investigator also drew attention to reports of torture, rapes, and mass killings of civilians, including the Rohingya, during fighting between the military and the Arakan Army (AA) in Arakan State.
News by Region
ARAKAN—Five civilians, including two 10-year-old girls, were killed and one person was injured due to an airstrike on Maung village in Taungup Township, around 200 miles (322 km) south of the Arakan State capital Sittwe, Wednesday.
“We’re constantly worried about when the next airstrike will come. We haven’t been able to sleep peacefully for quite a while now,” a Taungup resident told DVB. An airstrike on a market in Tanlwalywama village of Taungup Township killed at least 15 civilians on Oct. 7.
More than 1,000 civilians have been trapped in Ann, which is located around 199 miles (320 km) southeast of the Arakan capital Sittwe, since the AA launched an offensive to take control of the Western Regional Military Command (RMC) headquarters on Sept. 26.
“The Air Force conducted retaliatory airstrikes as the fighting intensified in the town. Residents are trapped inside as the military restricted access to the town. There are civilian casualties due to the artillery shelling and fighting,” an Ann resident told DVB. Ann residents reported that there are food shortages. The AA has also blockaded roads leading into Ann.
SHAN—The Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) party chairperson Sai Nyunt Lwin said that “no dictator” should ever rule Burma again on Oct. 26. He made the remarks during a speech he gave at an online event to commemorate the 36 anniversary of the SNLD party’s founding.
“People in the country have been ruled by dictators that they don’t want and are suffering from war as well as natural and man-made disasters. We must try to ensure that no dictator rules the country again,” said Sai Nyunt Lwin. He expressed sympathy for those that have been impacted by armed conflict, especially in northern Shan State. The SNLD was dissolved by the regime’s Union Election Commission in March 2023. It was founded on Oct. 26, 1988.
“His family members asked about his whereabouts at the station but he wasn’t there at that time as he was being interrogated by the military,” a source close to the police station told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The film the man is accused of criticizing is titled Gyitcarsiphoothala (Have you ever Rode a Jeep?) which is released in cinemas nationwide today. The Myanmar Hindu Union issued a statement condemning the film.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,550 kyat)
National Unity Government (NUG) Minister of Health Zaw Wai Soe accepts the Edward Barsky Award at the 2024 Health Activist Dinner in Minneapolis, US on Oct. 27. (Credit: American Public Health Association)
China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi with UN Special Envoy on Myanmar Julie Bishop in Beijing on Aug. 20. (Credit: China MOFA)
UN Special Envoy Julie Bishop visits Naypyidaw
The U.N. Special Envoy on Myanmar Julie Bishop said during a meeting at the U.N. on Tuesday that she met with regime leader Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyidaw, Reuters reported. She did not say which date the meeting took place, adding that she had previously met with representatives of the National Unity Government (NUG), National League for Democracy (NLD) party and ethnic armed groups.
“I have visited Naypyidaw and met with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and I will return,” said Bishop after criticizing both the military and resistance groups for having a “zero-sum mentality” towards Burma’s conflict, which began after the 2021 military coup. “There can be little progress on addressing the needs of the people while armed conflict continues across the country,” she added.
Bishop discussed Burma’s crisis with China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi in August and has vowed to work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to help implement its Five Point Consensus, which calls for an end to all violence and dialogue between the military and the resistance. Bishop was appointed to the role of U.N. Special Envoy on Myanmar by Secretary-General António Guterres in April. Her predecessor Noeleen Heyzer left the post in June 2023.
Sanctions imposed on fuel sector and Karen Border Guard Force
Canada and the U.K. announced on Tuesday that they had imposed sanctions on companies and individuals linked to the military, including the Asia Sun Network, which is the military’s main domestic partner for the import of aviation fuel. The E.U. sanctioned officials, including Saw Chit Thu, the leader of the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF/KNA) – which has rebranded as the Karen National Army – for its role in cyber scam operations in Karen State.
“The junta’s campaign of terror depends on a vast network of businesses that provide it with funds, arms, equipment and jet fuel, and are complicit in the junta’s international crimes,” said Yadanar Maung, the spokesperson for the whistleblower group Justice for Myanmar. “The latest sanctions help disrupt the junta’s dirty business networks, but far more needs to be done.”
The Burma Air Force has conducted 3,292 airstrikes from February 2021 to August 2024, according to the independent research group Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica. At least 120,000 people in Burma may be forced to carry out online scams, including in areas controlled by the Karen BGF, according to the U.N. The Institute for Strategy and Policy – Myanmar (ISP Myanmar) has documented that there are nearly 50 cyber scam compounds operating along the Burma-Thailand border.
Economist expects more inflation due to China border closures
Jared Bissinger, a development economist who has spent the last 15 years specializing in Burma’s economy, told DVB that inflation and shortages will occur due to China’s recent border closures. He added that this may not have an impact nationwide but will affect certain areas, as has been seen in Arakan State since the military shut down several trade routes.
“What’s driving the economic decline to me, it’s the regime. And I think that there’s numerous reasons for that. It’s the forex policy. It’s the money printing. It’s the instability they create. There’s so many things. I don’t see the avenue through which they fix it,” said Bissinger, who’s a visiting fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute (Institute for Southeast Asian Studies) in Singapore.
The U.S. dollar to kyat exchange rate, which had been strengthening since August, began depreciating last week. Beijing stated that it suspended trade with Burma over the past month due to “security concerns.” The Brotherhood Alliance and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) have seized control of most border gates in northern Shan and Kachin states since Oct. 27, 2023.
News by Region
The United Wa State Army sentenced a man to death for allegedly murdering a child in Hopang, Wa Self-Administered Division, on Oct. 30. (Credit: Shwe Phee Myay)
SHAN—The United Wa State Army (UWSA) stated that it sentenced a man to death for murder during a public trial in Hopang, located in the Wa Self-Administered Division of northern Shan State, on Wednesday, the Shwe Phee Myay news agency reported. The UWSA also sentenced six other men to 15 years in prison each for alleged cases of rape, on Oct. 30.
“The judgment has just been passed, and the killer was a young man, probably in his early twenties,” a Hopang resident told Shwe Phee Myay. Hopang was captured by the Brotherhood Alliance on Jan. 5, but it handed over control to the UWSA on Jan. 10. The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), which is a member of the Brotherhood Alliance and an ally of the UWSA, has also carried out public trials and executions in its territory.
CHINLAND—Fourteen military personnel were killed and four officers were arrested after the Chin National Army (CNA) and Chinland Defense Force (CDF) seized control of a military outpost near the Chinland capital Hakha on Monday.
“Fighting occurs daily in Thantlang town and in between Hakha and Thantlang. The military has sent reinforcements and conducted airstrikes in order to control Thantlang, but we still control 90 percent of the town,” a CDF spokesperson told DVB. The military recaptured a hilltop outpost, located seven miles (11 km) from Thantlang, last week.
KACHIN—At least 50 civilians were killed and nearly 500 homes were destroyed due to retaliatory airstrikes and artillery shelling conducted by the military during fighting with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Hseng Taung (Saitaung) village, located around six miles (10 km) from the jade mining hub of Hpakant. The KIA took control of the village on Oct. 8.
“We heard that half of the residents of the village returned but the rest cannot as their homes were destroyed during fires caused by the military’s retaliatory attacks,” a Hseng Taung resident told DVB. Other residents reported that they are in need of water and electricity, as well as assistance in reconstruction efforts. More than 5,000 people have been displaced from their homes by fighting between the KIA and military in Hseng Taung since Sept. 6.
MANDALAY—The Mandalay People’s Defense Force (MPDF) told DVB that at least 12 people were killed and nearly 60 others were injured during airstrikes conducted by the Burma Air Force on a makeshift jail at an undisclosed location on Monday. The MPDF claimed that most of the dead and injured were military personnel who were detained during fighting in northern Shan State and Mandalay Region.
“Eight military personnel, including a captain, and four suspects who are still under investigation were killed. We kept the detainees in accordance with the Geneva Conventions but the military intentionally killed its own kind. We are providing treatment to the injured,” an MPDF spokesperson told DVB. A member of another PDF in Mandalay Region told DVB that the airstrike may have occurred in Nawnghkio Township, around 75 miles (121 km) northeast of Mandalay in northern Shan.
Jailed National League for Democracy (NLD) Minister Win Khaing at the Ministry of Electricity and Energy in Naypyidaw in an undated photo. (Credit: MOEE)
The regime granted an amnesty on medical grounds to Win Khaing, the jailed Minister of Electricity and Energy in the National League for Democracy (NLD) government, which was ousted in the 2021 military coup.
Win Khaing, 74, was released from Mandalay’s Obo Prison on Monday and is now receiving medical treatment at the Intensive Care Unit of Mandalay General Hospital, according to a source close to the regime’s Prison Department.
“His condition has worsened this year. The Prison Department submitted the case to the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Home Affairs then submitted it to senior officials, who then granted the amnesty,” the source told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
The source added that Win Khaing had previously been admitted to Mandalay Hospital due to his deteriorating health condition in 2023, but was later moved back to Obo Prison.
Win Khaing had previously served as the NLD Minister of Construction in 2017 and was later appointed as Minister of Electricity and Energy in 2018. He was arrested in the capital Naypyidaw following the Feb. 1, 2021 coup.
Once detained, Win Khaing was convicted on Dec. 8, 2021 under the Anti-Corruption Law on allegations of misusing approximately six billion kyat ($129 million USD) of state funds that were allocated for a hydropower project.
A Naypyidaw military court sentenced him to 28 years in prison and he was later transferred to Mandalay’s Obo Prison.
Former Mandalay Chief Minister and NLD Vice Chair Zaw Myint Maung, who was serving a 29-year sentence at Obo Prison, was granted an amnesty on medical grounds to receive treatment for leukemia at Mandalay Hospital on Oct. 6. He died the following day.
Over 123 elderly political prisoners, including 39 NLD party members, are being held in prisons nationwide since the 2021 coup without adequate healthcare, according to an NLD Central Executive Committee.
“They face daily life-threatening conditions in prison due to inadequate basic healthcare, proper accommodation, food, and medicine,” Kyaw Htwe, an NLD Central Executive Committee member, told DVB.
The NLD has documented that at least 107 of its members have been killed and 2,181 have been arrested since 2021, including President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.
At least 1,497 NLD members remain behind bars. Kyaw Htwe expressed particular concern about the health condition of party leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is 79 and has been held incommunicado by the regime in Naypyidaw. Her son, Kim Aris, continues to call on the regime to provide her proper medical care and demands her release.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has documented that 103 political prisoners have died in prisons across the country, including 63 due to the lack of adequate medical care, since the 2021 coup.
Bamar People’s Liberation Army leader Maung Saungkha attends a ceremony marking the third anniversary of his armed group’s establishment, at an undisclosed location, on April 24. (Credit: BPLA)
Bamar People’s Liberation Army moves to central Myanmar
The Bamar People’s Liberation Army (BPLA) Commander Maung Saungkha announced that his troops will soon be relocating to the “Anyar” region, which refers to the parts of Sagaing, Mandalay, and Magway regions that are mainly inhabited by the Bamar ethnic nationality. He made the announcement in a social media post to mark the first anniversary of Operation 1027 on Sunday.
“The BPLA will soon establish a presence in the Anyar region and will be able to conduct operations there. We believe and hope that the people of Anyar will welcome us,” said Maung Saungkha, while acknowledging the leadership of the Brotherhood Alliance. “Our Spring Revolution forces have made tremendous progress under their guidance. We will never forget this debt of gratitude.”
Calls for Bangkok to rescue cyber scam victims in Karen State
The Civil Society Network for Victim Assistance in Human Trafficking issued a letter to Thai officials on Saturday urging them to help rescue 110 foreign nationals forced to work at cyber scam compounds, which are located in areas under the control of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF/KNA) in Myawaddy Township of Karen State.
“The Chinese mafia syndicate specifically exploits the Mae Sot District as a transit hub for trafficking victims from various countries into Myanmar, taking advantage of the shared border along the Moei River.” stated the letter to Thai officials in Bangkok. “This region is primarily controlled by the BGF and DKBA, complicating rescue operations. It is increasingly difficult for Thailand to evade its responsibility to address this long-neglected issue.”
Cyber scam compounds have brought foreign nationals to Thailand with false job offers before trafficking them across the border into Burma, where they may be forced to scam victims. Cyber scam operations have expanded in Karen State following crackdowns along the Myanmar-China border in February. The Institute for Strategy and Policy – Myanmar (ISP Myanmar) has documented that there are nearly 50 cyber scam compounds operating along the Burma-Thailand border.
Women in Arakan State read an issue of the free newspaper Arakkadesh. (Credit: Arakkadesh)
Free newspaper distributed in Arakan State
Three journalists in Arakan State established a newspaper called Arakkadesh, which will be distributed bimonthly for free in Thandwe, Myebon, Minbya and Mrauk-U townships, where telecommunication services have been restricted. It also plans to circulate the newspaper in Kyauktaw, Rathedaung and Ponnagyun townships.
“It is difficult to get mobile phone signals [across Arakan],” Tayzar Aung, an Arakkadesh reporter, told DVB. “It costs residents at least 1,500-2,000 kyat to charge their mobile phones. The prices of fuel and other basic commodities are rising continuously and people are unable to get the right information.”
Arrakadesh features local stories from Arakan, as well as international news. It aims to educate the public about how to avoid unexploded ordnance (UXO) and landmines planted during fighting between the military and the Arakan Army (AA). Telecommunications and electricity have been cut in most of the state since the AA launched its offensive on Nov. 13, 2023. Ten townships in Arakan and one in southern Chinland are under AA control.
News by Region
AYEYARWADY—Local rescue groups and residents claimed that six bodies with gunshot wounds have been recovered from the Ngawun River in Pathein Township since Oct. 22. They claimed that the bodies were recovered after the military conducted training exercises in the river on Oct. 20.
“The bodies of six men in their twenties and two women were recovered. Two of the men’s bodies had gunshot wounds. We were unable to identify many of the bodies,” a local rescue worker told DVB. Ayeyarwady has largely been unaffected by fighting between the military and resistance forces since the 2021 coup.
MAGWAY—Two civilians and two People’s Defense Force (PDF) members were killed during fighting with the military in Chauk Township, located around 72 miles (116 km) north of the Magway Region capital, on Sunday. At least 4,000 villagers were displaced from their homes due to the clashes.
“Three airstrikes occurred in three villages. Two men in their sixties who were hiding in a monastery were confirmed dead but we don’t know the extent of the casualties due to [intermittent phone] services,” a Chauk resident told DVB. Residents report that the military burned down several homes in two villages after it launched an offensive in the township last week.
MANDALAY—A couple was killed in their home by artillery fired by the military in Htanaungpinlae village near Natogyi town, which is located around 63 miles (101 km) southwest of Mandalay, on Monday. “They fired three shells indiscriminately and one of them landed on a home, killing those inside,” a PDF member told DVB.
A fuel station was destroyed during airstrikes conducted by the Burma Air Force on two villages in Natogyi Township on Sunday. The military has been launching retaliatory airstrikes since the PDF began an offensive in the township on Aug. 10.
SHAN—Residents of Naung Wo Chaung Kyar village of Pinlaung Township told DVB that a local woman was tied up and raped by Burma Army soldiers on Saturday. The village is located in the Pa-O Self Administered Zone around 68 miles (109 km) south of the Shan State capital Taunggyi.
“Tying someone up and committing such an inhumane act is extremely evil,” a resident told DVB. “There is no security for women and no laws to protect them now,” a Pa-O women’s rights activist told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Fighting between the military and resistance forces in Pinlaung has been ongoing since February.
Aung San Suu Kyi's family home at 54 University Avenue in Yangon, where she famously spent 15 years under house arrest. (Credit: Reuters)
A proposal submitted by Aung San Oo – the estranged brother of jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi – to lower the auction floor price for the family residence at 54 University Avenue in Yangon has faced objection from her legal team, according to sources close to the court.
The military regime has imposed restrictions on public statements by Aung San Suu Kyi’s legal team, making it difficult to gather detailed information regarding the property’s sale and auction proceedings.
The residence at 54 University Avenue- home to Aung San Suu Kyi during her house arrest for 15 years from 1989 to 2010 – is set to be auctioned for the third time.
“Aung San Oo’s side has requested a reduced floor price to facilitate the sale, but Aung San Suu Kyi’s legal team has filed an objection. No official decision has been issued yet. Under Myanmar’s Immovable Property Restrictions Act, Aung San Oo, who is not a Myanmar citizen, does not have the right to inherit immovable property within the country.
However, this law does not restrict his inheritance rights. Thus, he has applied to sell the residence at 54 University Avenue and to divide the proceeds. Once an order is granted and a base price set, security arrangements for the third auction will be made in coordination with the Yangon Region Police Commissioner’s Office,”said Khin Maung Myint, a Myanmar legal advisor.
Aung San Suu Kyi has been held incommunicado in the capital Naypyidaw since her arrest during the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021. The 79-year-old has been unable to meet with her legal team since December 2022 and has not been directly involved in decisions regarding the sale of her property.
Her legal team continues to appear at court hearings twice monthly for her inheritance execution suit, attempting to prevent additional complications, according to sources close to the proceedings.
“Without directions from the client [Aung San Suu Kyi herself], the legal team is constrained, as her decisions ultimately drive the process. Lawyers cannot independently advocate positions or express agreement or disagreement on specific terms. The restricted communication with her has created substantial challenges, and the restrictions imposed under Section 144 of the Penal Code have made it increasingly difficult for her team to communicate openly with the media,” added Khin Maung Myint.
Veteran lawyer Kyee Myint said that the court does not have the authority to arbitrarily reduce the floor price. If such a reduction were to be made, it could be subject to appeal. The court is expected to exercise careful deliberation before setting the auction price.
The military regime’s directive under Section 144 (1) of the Penal Code restricts Aung San Suu Kyi’s legal team from making public statements, citing the need to prevent unrest.
After the 2021 coup, Mandalay Region Chief Minister Zaw Myint Maung’s lawyer, Ywet Nu Aung, was sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labor by Mandalay’s Obo Prison court on Dec. 28, 2022.
Ywet Nu Aung was convicted under the Counter-Terrorism Law after allegations were made by the military that she financially supported a Mandalay-based People’s Defense Force (PDF), which has been labeled a “terrorist” group by the regime.
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