Atlanta Burmese Voice (ABV) Podcast launched earlier this year in Atlanta, Georgia. Salai Thung is the founder of ABV. He discusses the challenges of producing a podcast for the diaspora, given the information needs of everyone in Burma. #whatshappeninginMyanmar
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People from Sagaing Region complain that they are unable to register on overnight guest lists at hotels and administration offices in Yangon due to their National Registration Cards (NRC) denoting No. 5 which states they are from Sagaing. Security forces have scaled up guest list inspections throughout Yangon since the military staged its 2021 coup. Township administration offices are requesting people from Sagaing Region with a No. 5 on their NRC to provide additional identification before being allowed to register on guest lists.
“My niece came to Yangon from Sagaing for work. Even though my niece is a woman, the ward office did not want to accept her and she couldn’t register on the guest list. She had already paid the room fee for a hotel located in the ward, but ended up losing her money,” a source told DVB. The Yangon Region Sangha Maha Nayaka issued a statement on Nov. 23 ordering all Buddhist monasteries in Yangon Region to refuse all overnight guests. The statement mentioned reports of theft as the reason for the change in overnight guest policy at monasteries in Yangon. People from Sagaing Region staying in Yangon feel they are being discriminated against by township authorities. “We are also innocent people, but we feel insecure even if we show our NRCs.” a man from Sagaing Region said.
In 1988, Zaw Tun fled Burma to Thailand. He met his wife in Bangkok in 1995 and the two were resettled as refugees to Canada, where they got married and raised four daughters in Ottawa,. He reflects on his days living on the Thai-Burma border, and now finds ways to support the Spring Revolution.
Doh Pyay Doh Myay (DPDM) Global is a DVB travel program, exploring diversity worldwide. Every week Burmese diaspora on another continent are given a voice. #တို့ပြည်တို့မြေ #ကနေဒါ
Watch more DPDM: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM…
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The DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) is a non-profit Burmese media organization committed to independent and responsible journalism. The DVB Foundation is registered in Oslo, Norway since 1992.
FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM
Poet receives additional prison sentence
The Pathein poet Lu Phan Kha (aka Htet Lin Soe) received an additional two years under Section 505 of the Penal Code on Dec. 19. This brings his total prison sentence to 28 years. Htet Lin Soe was convicted of violating the Natural Disaster Management Law, along with Sections 122, 124, 332, and 505. He was arrested in March 2021 in Pathein, Ayeyarwady Region. Ten other activists and parliamentarians were sentenced to 20 years in prison each on Nov. 22.
Trial of Aung San Suu Kyi in final phase
A Naypyidaw military court will hear the final arguments in the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi on Dec. 26. “The verdict will be given after that stage,” a source said. Aung San Suu Kyi has been convicted on 14 charges and sentenced to a total of 26 years in prison.
UN Security Council to vote on Burma
The U.N. Security Council is set to vote on a draft resolution demanding the end of violence in Burma on Dec. 21. The resolution calls for the release of all political prisoners and the immediate implementation of the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus. The U.N. Security Council members have yet to formally vote on draft resolutions since Burma’s political crisis kicked off following the 2021 military coup. The U.K. drafted the resolution on Burma calling for an arms embargo and sanctions on Burma, but this was later removed. China and Russia, both permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, have historically shielded Burma from international accountability.
News by Region
AYEYARWADDY—A suspect who allegedly raped a two-year-old girl in Ma Gyi Zin village, Pathein Township was released by police on Dec. 15. The suspect has a criminal record and is related to the police chief, according to locals. The police chief claimed that it would cost around K1.5 million ($714 USD) to file charges and would involve a lengthy trial. Locals demanded the suspect be handed over, but the police transported him to another town on Dec. 18.
KACHIN—Locals claimed that Burma Army troops set fire to two passenger vehicles on Dec. 18. “In the first week of December, authorities seized unregistered vehicles in Kamaing. Many vehicles were taken but the drivers were released. Two vehicles were torched in the area controlled by the military,” a local said. The Burma Army also seized unregistered vehicles in Myitkyina, Bhamo, and Hpakant townships in October and November.
KAREN—The Burma Army closed Tadakyo gate on Hpa-an-Myawaddy Asia Highway in Kawkareik Township on Dec. 20 after it had been reopened the previous day. “No vehicles are trying to use that road as it is shut down. We don’t know when it will reopen,” a bus driver said. Asia Highway is the second most important road for transit between Burma and Thailand. It has been frequently shut due to fighting between the Burma Army and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) in Kaw Nwe village. Three fighter jets have been flying over the area since Dec. 20 causing locals concern an attack is imminent.
RAKHINE—The bodies of two missing people from Shwetaung village were discovered in northern Maungdaw Township on Dec. 19. The two went missing the previous day while searching for bamboo in the forest.
The junta charged a mill owner in Thazin village of Kyauktaw Township under Section 131 of the Penal Code for abetting or encouraging military officers to mutiny. Hla Maung Tha, 43, was arrested on Nov. 2 together with another man. They were charged under Section 17(1) of the Unlawful Association Act on Dec. 19 for alleged ties to the Arakan Army (AA). The Sittwe Court filed an additional charge against Hla Maung Than under Section 131. “I do not know much about law, but it is a serious charge according to police officers. I heard my husband is seriously injured and I want him to receive medical treatment. I sent him medicine,” his wife said. Section 131 carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The junta has arrested over 200 people in Rakhine since fighting resumed with the AA. Over 80 have been released.
SAGAING—A local defense force announced that they had killed four police officers and a civilian in Salingyi Township on Dec. 19. Three guns were taken from the dead police officers.
YANGON—Nearly K10 million ($4,762 USD) was stolen in a robbery at Ayeyarwaddy bank in Latha Township on Dec. 19. Locals said an unidentified man arrived at the bank and threatened staff with a sword. “The robber arrived when the bank opened. A female staff member and a security guard were in the bank,” a resident told DVB.
DVB Athan features Khin Ohmar, the founder and chair of Progressive Voice, a human rights-based policy research and advocacy organization in Burma. She discusses the junta’s new organizations registration law and the humanitarian resistance to it. #WhatshappeninginMyanmar
Two academic institutions have decided to cut Burmese language courses, as students in the U.S. and U.K. have fewer chances now to learn about Burmese language and culture.
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About DVB
The DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) is a non-profit Burmese media organization committed to independent and responsible journalism. The DVB Foundation is registered in Oslo, Norway since 1992.
FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM
Sri Lankan navy rescues stranded Rohingya
The Sri Lankan navy rescued more than 100 Rohingya stranded at sea near its coast on Dec. 18. The Rohingya were reportedly trying to reach Indonesia but the boat drifted off course. “The people have been handed over to the police,” said Gayan Wickramasuriya, a spokesperson for the Sri Lankan navy. ‘’We are grateful to the Sri Lankan navy and all who have acted to save lives,’’ said Indrika Ratwatte, the UNHCR’s Director for Asia and the Pacific. UNHCR is providing aid to the rescued Rohingya. Hundreds of Rohingya have taken to the seas to flee the refugee camps in Bangladesh and what amounts to genocide in Burma.
Five dead from ferry explosion in Yangon
At least five passengers were killed in an explosion on the Yangon-Dala ferry on Dec. 18. Another 15 men and two women were injured. “I heard five died. They passed away while receiving medical treatment,” a local told DVB. The Dala People’s Defence Force (PDF) condemned the attack. Burma Army troops were deployed to Dala Township prior to the attack. “There are many locals who were arrested by the Burma Army in Dala. I have no idea why the attack happened despite security being tightened,” the local added. On Dec. 19, junta media reported that 17 passengers were injured, but did not announce any killed in the explosion.
Thailand to hold upcoming meeting on Burma’s crisis
Thailand will reportedly invite members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to a meeting about Burma’s crisis on Dec. 22. “It is a Thai initiative to update and exchange views informally among colleagues interested in and affected by the Myanmar quagmire,” a source said. Thailand’s neighbors have confirmed that they will attend the meeting. But it is unclear which countries will join and if Burma’s junta will attend. The Thai government has refused to condemn the 2021 military coup and continues to engage with Min Aung Hlaing.
News by Region
BAGO—A local was killed and another injured when Burma Army shells landed in Kyaukkyi Township on Dec. 15. The heavy shells were reportedly fired into the village just after clashes occurred between the Karen National Liberation Army and the Burma Army. “A cow and pig were also killed. Three cows were injured. The Burma Army is now in the village,” a local told DVB.
SHAN—Eleven members of a resistance group called the Yangon Underground Group (YUG) have been arrested in Aungban town, junta media reported. Local defense forces confirmed the arrests. The 11 were reportedly detained on their way to military training in Karenni State on Dec. 13. Junta media reports the 11 are being accused of committing 12 attacks from November 2021 to July 2022 in Yangon.
On Dec. 18, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) issued a statement denying junta media claims that the Burma Army seized weapons belonging to it in Namsan Township. MRTV aired footage on Dec. 17 of Burma Army columns conducting an offensive on Dec. 7 near Konethar village. It claimed that clashes between the Burma Army and the TNLA happened “because of a misunderstanding.” MRTV went on to state that “TNLA later came to an understanding” with the Burma Army after it was made known that it was only seizing weapons belonging to the PDF. The TNLA stated that the Burma Army attacked Konethar village “based on false information. The TNLA has not lost weapons nor were weapons of the National Unity Government’s PDF seized. There were no losses or damages suffered,” according to the TNLA statement.
At least 499 assault rifles and ammunition intended for the PDF were seized in Hopong Township, junta media reported on Dec. 18. “We have learned that many weapons were captured in an area under our control. There are many routes within this area. We cannot close all of them as we can close only the main routes. We do not know where these weapons came from,” the Pa-O National Organization told SHAN.
SAGAING—Power outages occurred in four villages of Kalay Township on Dec. 17. A local said that electricity staff guarded by the Burma Army arrived to cut the wires of a transformer providing power to the villages on Dec. 17. “We have been told to pay the power bill. We are ready to pay it, but I have no idea why they did such a thing,” a local told DVB.
DVB PICKS—For the first time, DVB presents the ‘Peace Documentary Award‘ for the best of 10 original and exclusive short documentary films. On Dec. 24 at 19:30 (Burma time) the winning documentary will premiere on DVB TV and online. Stay tuned.
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