Passengers traveling on the Yangon-Bago railway line have complained about boarding and descending two newly-acquired Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) trains from Spain, which began operating on Oct. 2. Emergency iron stairs have been placed at 12 of the 14 train stations to allow passengers to board or disembark. Read more here.
Mind the gap on Yangon’s newest trains from Spain
Orphans of Myanmar’s Cyclone Nargis [2009 DVB Documentary]
Definitive DVB Docs is a new series to share classic documentary films made in English by the Democratic Voice of Burma: Orphans of Myanmar’s Cyclone Nargis is a 2009 documentary film about children who lost their parents and loved ones in the 2008 Cyclone Nargis, which caused at least 138,373 fatalities. This story originally aired on Channel 4 Dispatches in 2009. Read more about it here.
India now engaging with anti-coup resistance; Kachin Border Guard Force loses base in rare earth mining hub
India now engaging with anti-coup resistance
Angshuman Choudhury, a researcher on India-Burma relations and security in northeast India, told DVB that New Delhi has increased engagement with armed resistance groups since the Chin National Front (CNF), the Arakan Army (AA), and the People’s Defense Force (PDF), seized control of much of the 1,025-mile (1,650 km) India-Burma border.
“The Arakan Army has been able to capture along proximate India’s border and especially along territory through which India’s Kaladan project passes in northern Rakhine state and southern Chin State has compelled India to probably revisit its single-track policy of engaging the [military regime],” he said.
India invited the civilian-led National Unity Government (NUG), the CNF, the AA, and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), to attend a federalism seminar in New Delhi next month. Indian officials attended diplomatic talks about Burma’s crisis with resistance groups in Jakarta Oct. 5-6. New Delhi has also met with regime officials from Naypyidaw in recent weeks.
Kachin Border Guard Force loses base in rare earth mining hub
The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) seized the 1002 Battalion of the pro-military Kachin Border Guard Force (BGF) near Pangwa in Chipwi Township, which is located around 114 miles (183 km) northeast of the Kachin State capital Myitkyina, on Monday. KIA-led forces launched an attack to take the base, near the China border, on Oct. 9.
“A number of prisoners of war and weapons were also seized,” a KIA source told Shwe Phee Myay News Agency. Most of the Kachin BGF troops had been recently recruited and had only undergone a few days of military training, according to reports. Pangwa is the capital of the Kachin Special Region 1, which is administered by the Kachin BGF.
Kachin Special Region 1 is a hub for Burma’s lucrative rare earth mining, which was reportedly worth $1.4 billion USD last year. KIA-led forces seized control of the mining towns of Hsawlaw and Chipwi earlier this month. The Kachin BGF was formed in 2009 when the New Democratic Army – Kachin agreed to come under the military’s chain of command.
New trains from Spain pose challenge for railway commuters
Passengers traveling on the Yangon-Bago railway line have complained about boarding and descending two newly-acquired Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) trains from Spain, which began operating on Oct. 2. Emergency iron stairs have been placed at 12 of the 14 train stations along the line to allow passengers to board or disembark.
“Boarding this train from the platform is very inconvenient—it’s too high. The platform isn’t tall enough, unlike with the older [railway bus engine] trains where you could step directly on board. This is a big difference,” said a railway passenger in Yangon.
Railway officials said that the trains are on a trial run along the Yangon-Bago route, which can take up to three hours. Passengers have also complained about the lack of restroom facilities on board. The new trains are expected to run along the Yangon circular route in November, but no official announcement has been made by Myanma Railways.
News by Region
ARAKAN—Telecommunication services in more than nine townships of northern Arakan State have been unavailable after fiber cables that were installed around the Yaw Creek bridge, which connected Myebon and Ann townships, were destroyed by airstrikes conducted by the Burma Air Force on Oct. 12.
“It will take time to restore telecom services,” a telecommunications worker told DVB. The Yaw Creek bridge is located along Yangon-Sittwe highway and is important for transportation between Ann, Myebon and other townships throughout the state. An unknown number of homes near the bridge were also damaged by the airstrikes.
KACHIN—The KIA has confirmed the detention of two reporters to BBC Burmese. Tar Lynn Maung, a reporter for the Red News Agency, and freelancer Naung Yo, were separately arrested on Sept. 29 in Hpakant Township, a jade-mining hub 94 miles (151 km) northwest of Myitkyina. They have been held incommunicado by the KIA.
KIA spokesperson Naw Bu told BBC that they are investigating the two, adding that the exact reason for their detention is still unclear. “We are working for their release and supporting organizations in their efforts to free them,” said an editor at the Red News Agency.
MAGWAY—Two men were killed and 10 others were injured during airstrikes on two villages in northern Gangaw Township, located 222 miles (357 km) southwest of the Magway Region capital, on Monday. Around 10 homes were damaged.
“Six were injured during the airstrikes on Lapo village. Two men were killed while four others were injured in the airstrikes on Bawpyin village,” a Gangaw PDF member told DVB. The military launched an offensive in Gangaw last month.
SHAN—A total 191 relatives of military personnel who were detained have been released by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in Hsipaw Township, located around 47 miles (76 km) southwest of Lashio, on Oct. 12. They were taken by the TNLA after it seized two military outposts in Hsipaw on Sept. 26-27.
“We arrested many prisoners of war and confiscated their weapons. We will release their family members,” Nway Yay Oo, the TNLA spokesperson, told DVB. The TNLA took full control of Hsipaw after it seized the remaining military outpost there on Sunday.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,520 kyat)
Mark your calendars: DVB Peacock Film Festival is Dec. 8-10 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Follow DVB English News for the latest on X, FB, IG, Threads, TikTok & YouTube.
Chinland Defense Force loses 18 in fight against military; Thirty killed as Brotherhood Alliance seizes Hsipaw
Chinland Defense Force loses 18 in fight against military
Eighteen members of the Chinland Defense Force (CDF) Thantlang, including its Commander-in-Chief Ram Zel, were killed during fighting with the military in Thantlang Township, located 22 miles (35 km) west of the Chinland capital Hakha, on Saturday.
“They were killed by artillery fired by military troops stationed at the National League for Democracy [NLD] party office,” a CDF Thantlang spokesperson told DVB. Another member said that nearly 50 CDF Thantlang members have been injured in battle and are in need of medical attention.
The military still occupies the town’s NLD office and police station. Chin resistance forces seized control of a bank occupied by the military on Oct. 7. The Chin National Front (CNF) told DVB that resistance forces control over 90 percent of Thantlang. They launched an offensive against the military in Thantlang on July 22.
Thirty killed as Brotherhood Alliances seizes Hsipaw
Around 30 civilians were reportedly killed and an unknown number were injured by retaliatory airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force as the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) seized full control of Hsipaw, located around 47 miles (76 km) southwest of Lashio in northern Shan State, on Sunday.
“The Burma Air Force conducted six rounds of airstrikes after the resistance seized the town,” a Hsipaw resident told DVB. Around 100 military personnel and their family members have been detained by the TNLA and its allied resistance groups as prisoners of war.
Hsipaw is located on a trade route that links Burma’s second largest city, Mandalay, to the border of China. The Brotherhood Alliance consists of the TNLA, the Arakan Army (AA), and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA). The TNLA launched its offensive against the military in Hsipaw in August.
At least 520 killed or missing since Typhoon Yagi
At least 520 people have been killed, or have gone missing, since the remnants of Typhoon Yagi arrived in Burma on Sept. 9. Nearly one million have been impacted by floods nationwide, the regime deputy Prime Minister Soe Win said at a ceremony to commemorate the International Day for Disaster Reduction in Naypyidaw on Sunday.
“We must constantly take care to reduce the damage caused by natural disasters as Myanmar ranks sixth place with a score of 36.26 on the World Risk Index 2023,” added Soe Win. Regime media reported that more than 180,000 livestock were killed and 735,461 acres of crop fields were destroyed.
The regime plans to provide financial aid to families who’ve lost their homes. It claimed to have provided one million kyat to those who’ve lost loved ones. The National Unity Government (NUG) stated that more than 600 people have died or gone missing. It added that over one million people have been impacted by flooding and landslides.
News by Region
AYEYARWADY—Airlines resumed flights to and from Pathein Airport in Pathein Township on Sunday – six years after they were first suspended. Service was resumed in preparation for the Thadingyut holidays, which will be held from Oct. 16-18.
“The regime hopes to get more local tourists to Bagan, Nyaung-U in Mandalay as well as Ngwesaung, Chaungtha beaches and Gaw Yin Gyi island in Pathein,” airport staff told DVB. Security at the airport was put on alert Oct. 9, as the AA offensive in Gwa Township of southern Arakan State continued. Gwa is 110 miles (170 km) south of Pathein.
SHAN—Three civilians were killed and two others, including a 4-year-old boy, were injured by airstrikes on Einyl village, near Lashio, on Monday. An unknown number of buildings, including a church, were damaged. “There have been sixteen airstrikes, so far,” a Lashio resident told DVB. The MNDAA took control of Lashio when it seized the Northeast Regional Military Command (RMC) headquarters on Aug. 3.
YANGON—A resistance group calling itself the Golden Valley Warriors shot a member of the Hlaingthaya (West) Township Management Committee and a student in Hlaingthaya Township on Sunday. “I don’t know his exact condition, but the student is in critical condition and was transported to a military hospital,” a Hlaingthaya resident told DVB.
The resistance group claimed that it targeted the township management committee member for helping the regime to collect the names of 800 men eligible for military conscription in Hlaingthaya. A neighborhood inspection was carried out by regime authorities after the attack. The conscription law was implemented on Feb. 10.
The Yankin Township Court charged four anti-coup activists with inciting public unrest last week, the Anti-Junta Alliance of Yangon (AJAY) spokesperson Nan Lin told DVB. The four were arrested after staging a flash mob protest on Sept. 19. Paing Phyo Min, the leader of AJAY, and another member were arrested on Oct. 9.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,470 kyat)
News Cartoon: Oct. 14, 2024
Prison Desk – Episode 1: Myanmar’s prison system
Prison Desk is a new program brought to you by DVB and the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). It examines the prison system in Myanmar and how political prisoners face cruel and unusual treatment ordered by the military regime, which seized power in Naypyidaw following the coup on Feb. 1, 2021. Hear Oscar’s story, who was shot and jailed by the military, after attending an anti-coup protest during CNN reporter Clarissa Ward’s visit to Myanmar.
