On Aug. 8, a commemoration was held for the 36th anniversary of the ‘8888 Uprising’ for democracy in Myanmar at the Golden Land Solidarity Collective in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Burma Civil War Museum and the Yadanabon University Students Union hosted an exhibit called “People’s Footprints – 8888 People’s Uprising Memorial Ceremony and Newspaper Exhibition.”
DVB English News Weekly Briefing for Aug. 9, 2024. In this week’s briefing: Rohingya targeted in northern Rakhine State’s Maungdaw Township; Myanmar commemorates the 36th anniversary of the 1988 Uprising for democracy; Regime claims Thailand to help with its planned census and election; And a book launch sharing women’s stories; Plus, we hear from the author of a travelogue about the country’s railway network.
Over 200,000 people impacted by flooding nationwide
The World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Thursday that 200,000 people across Burma have been impacted by severe flooding caused by monsoon rains since late June. Residents in Bago, Kachin, Karen, Magway, and Sagaing regions have been displaced from their homes due to the flooding.
“This flood comes at a time when food insecurity in Myanmar is at an emergency level,” said WFP Myanmar Representative Paolo Mattei. “With more than 13 million people across the country grappling with food insecurity, the floods only exacerbate their vulnerability.”
The WFP stated that it has launched an emergency relief response to address the crisis. Satellite data from the WFP Advanced Disaster Analysis & Mapping estimates that up to Aug. 6 around 855,000 people are living in areas that have been affected by flooding nationwide.
Rohingya targeted in northern Arakan’s Maungdaw Township
Human rights groups have reported that over 200 Rohingya Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were targeted by drone and artillery attacks during fighting between the Arakan Army (AA) and the military in Maungdaw Township, located in northern Arakan State near the Burma-Bangladesh border, on Monday.
“The area has been bombarded with heavy weapons since the AA established a presence in Pan Taw Pyin [village], which is about a mile from [Maungdaw town]. Rohingya residents are aware of which house in Pan Taw Pyin has been used [by the AA] to launch these weapons,” Hla Tun, a Maungdaw resident, told BBC Burmese.
An unknown number of Maungdaw residents were killed while attempting to escape, via the Naf River, on boats into neighboring Bangladesh. A video circulating online – and shared by human rights activists – appears to show dozens of dead Rohingya on the river’s banks. This footage could not be independently verified by DVB. Read more here.
Democracy activists commemorate ‘8888 Uprising’ anniversary
Anti-coup groups in Yangon and Mandalay staged flash mob protests to mark the 36th anniversary of the ‘8888 Uprising’ on Thursday. The Anti-Junta Alliance Yangon (AJAY), an anti-military underground group, staged a demonstration in Yangon by raising banners with slogans reading: “8888” and “We are calling on the military to join with the people to save the country and the army.”
The General Strike Coordination Body (GSCB) claimed that the military regime is collapsing and pro-democracy groups have made progress since the ‘8888 Uprising’ took place 36 years ago, on Aug. 8, 1966. Activists in Yangon also spray painted slogans mocking the military on walls in public spaces across Yangon.
Protesters in Mandalay raised banners with messages calling on the people to complete the transition from military rule to democracy, which began in 1988. The National Unity Government (NUG), the Democratic Party for a New Society (DPNS), and the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) issued statements to commemorate the pro-democracy movement. The E.U. and U.K. embassies in Yangon posted commemorative statements on its social media pages.
News by Region
AYEYARWADY—Over 200 homes and 18 schools have been affected by flooding in Thabaung and Lemyethna townships. The water levels of the Ngawun River have continued to increase since the end of July. “The rain has not stopped and the water level is also increasing. People in the flooded areas are in need of clean water and food,” said a Thabaung resident.
MAGWAY—A group calling itself the People’s Democratic Army claimed that it took control of all military outposts in Kaingtawma village of Myaing Township on Wednesday. Two members of the group were killed in fighting with the military. “We destroyed their outposts and are currently clearing the areas,” said its spokesperson. The group launched an attack on the outposts on Aug. 3.
SAGAING—Four civilians were killed and six others were injured by artillery shells fired by the military at Htantawgyi village in Yinmabin Township on Wednesday. “Please don’t fire artillery on villages indiscriminately. It is unacceptable,” said a family member of one of the four killed in the attack. Htantawgyi village is located along the road from Monywa to Pathein, the capital of Ayeyarwady Region.
SHAN—More than 300 relatives of military personnel who surrendered to the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) when it seized control of the Northeastern Regional Military Command (RMC) headquarters in Lashio, northern Shan State, were released on Tuesday.
“The Shan State Progress Party escorted them to Mongyai,” said a Lashio resident. Both the SSPP and the military maintain a presence in Mongyai, which is located 91 km (57 miles) south of Lashio. The MNDAA claimed that over 4,000 military personnel and their family members surrendered after it took control of the RMC in Lashio on Aug. 3.
A five-year investigation by DVB uncovered evidence that Burma/Myanmar is embarking on a program to develop nuclear weapons. At the center of the investigation is Sai Thein Win, a former defense engineer and missile expert who worked at factories where he was tasked to make prototype components for a nuclear program.
Sai contacted DVB after learning of its investigation into Myanmar’s military programs. He supplied various documents and colour photographs of the equipment built inside the factories where he worked. The investigation has also uncovered evidence of North Korea’s involvement in the development of missiles, as well as Russia’s training of Myanmar’s nuclear technicians.
Human rights groups have reported that over 200 Rohingya Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were targeted by drone and artillery attacks during fighting between the Arakan Army (AA) and the military in Maungdaw Township, located in northern Arakan (Rakhine) State near the Myanmar-Bangladesh border, on Monday.
“The area has been bombarded with heavy weapons since the AA established a presence in Pan Taw Pyin [village], which is about a mile from [Maungdaw town]. Rohingya residents are aware of which house in Pan Taw Pyin has been used [by the AA] to launch these weapons,” Hla Tun, a Maungdaw resident, told BBC Burmese.
An unknown number of Maungdaw residents were killed while attempting to escape, via the Naf River, on boats into neighboring Bangladesh. A video circulating online – and shared by human rights activists – appears to show dozens of dead Rohingya on the river’s banks. This footage could not be independently verified by DVB.
“The [military] did not attack us with rockets. It was carried out by the AA. We tried to flee to Bangladesh for our survival,” Hasan, another Maungdaw resident, told Radio Free Asia.
Bangladesh media reported that at least 31 Rohingya, including 15 children, died when their boats capsized in the Bay of Bengal on Aug. 5. Maungdaw residents told DVB that fighting has intensified this week as the AA seeks to gain control over the border town, as it did in neighboring Buthidaung Township on May 18.
“We can clearly see how the AA has been desperately targeting Rohingya civilians. While the AA is fighting against the military, it is evident that they have the same intentions towards the Rohingya as the military,” said Nay San Lwin, the co-founder of the Free Rohingya Coalition.
Wai Wai Nu, a Rohingya lawyer and founder of the Women’s Peace Network, posted on social media that Rohingya are caught in the crossfire and Rohingya armed groups, aligned with the military, are preventing Maungdaw residents from leaving.
“The international community must immediately act for [the] protection and safety of all civilians in Rakhine State, including Rohingya civilians,” she wrote on social media.
The military regime in Naypyidaw has accused the AA of carrying out the attacks, but the AA denied responsibility in a post it shared to social media. Khaing Thukha, the AA spokesperson, did not respond to DVB’s request for comment.
The AA claimed in a statement on Wednesday that the drone and artillery attacks did not occur in areas under its control. Regime troops and the AA are deployed in the different areas of Maungdaw.
“Civilians who, for whatever reason, choose to stay remain protected by [International Humanitarian Law] and must not be attacked,” stated the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Myanmar. It called on both sides to ensure the safety of civilians and humanitarian aid workers.
Fighting between the AA and the military in Maungdaw began on June 16. Since then, the AA has reportedly seized up to seven out of the eight Border Guard Police (BGP) outposts in northern Arakan.
Over 700,000 Rohingya were forced into Bangladesh after a 2017 military clearance operation in northern Arakan that was labeled a genocide by the U.S. government in 2022. The U.N. has stated that there are 630,000 Rohingya living in Arakan State. At least 430,000 of them are IDPs, according to the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK).
© Democratic Voice of Burma 2024.
