Growing up with a father in the Burma Army, Tin Nwel didn’t know anything about politics. He said his family had a “military mindset.” But once he left Burma for Thailand after the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, he started a family and realized that he didn’t want them to live as refugees. They decided to resettle to Canada, where Tin Nwel works hard to support his family, and 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
Roadshow #Canada #OverseasBurmese #DVBTV DVB TV – 08.01.2023
Watch more DPDM: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM…
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.
DVB Peace Documentary 2022 Finalist “The Effect of Landmines in Chinland” tells the story of landmine victims and survivors in the armed conflict that has evolved in Chin State since the 2021 military coup. The devastating impact of landmines will continue to affect future generations. Over 100 people have already been killed or injured. Watch the film and learn more on DVB TV.
Three armed groups in Shan sign agreements with regime
The junta announced that it signed agreements with the representatives from three Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) – the United Wa State Army (UWSP/SA), the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) and the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP/SAA) – after three days of “peace talks.” The meetings were reportedly held in Naypyidaw from Jan. 6 to 7. The junta did not share the contents of the agreements, but stated that it was “building a federal and democratic union” and “amending the 2008 constitution.” The junta held similar discussions with five EAOs from the Peace Process Steering Team (PPST), a group backed by signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), from Dec. 27 to 29. The junta claimed it reached agreements with the five EAOs on four points including “holding multi-party democratic elections” and “amending the 2008 constitution.”
At least 185 Rohingya land in Indonesia
A boat carrying 185 Rohingya landed in Aceh Province, Indonesia on Jan. 8. Over half of the Rohingya were women and children, a source told Reuters. Aceh has seen the arrival of hundreds of Rohingya in the past several months. 2022 saw a mass exodus of Rohingya fleeing conditions in Burma as well as refugee camps in Bangladesh by boat. The Burma Army launched a military campaign against the Rohingya in northern Rakhine in 2017 that has been described by many in the international community as genocidal. Rohingya refugees that fled to Bangladesh have their movement restricted and violence is rife in the refugee camps.
News by Region
AYEYARWADDY—Three locals have been arrested in relation to protests that took place inside Pathein Prison on Jan. 6, according to police sources. One was killed and about 63 other prisoners were injured as a result of a crackdown by prison authorities. Four of the injured are in critical condition. The protest was reportedly in response to prison officials constructing gallows to use to execute a striking teacher on death row. “Two men in a car parked in front of the prison were arrested. The next day the wife of the imprisoned Ko Win Tun was arrested. Ko Mae Gyi’s wife escaped,” a source told DVB. The two men were arrested on accusations of leaking footage of the incident to the media. The wife of Ko Win Tun was arrested at her home on Jan. 7 for allegedly providing mobile phones to political prisoners.
CHIN—The Chinland Defense Forces Hakha stated on Jan. 9 that it will not allow the junta to hold elections in Hakha Township. The group said the elections are just “an attempt of the power-mad Min Aung Hlaing and his terrorist military council to become a legitimate government.” In addition, the group also warned that those who participate in elections, including candidates and voters, would be considered “enemies of the public” and it vowed to “take action” against them.
MANDALAY—An explosion at a bar in Mandalay destroyed a car on Jan. 8, according to local sources. “The sound was quite loud. I don’t know if anyone was hurt,” a resident told DVB. A local media outlet in Mandalay reported that the attack was conducted by a local resistance group as a warning to the public to not visit the bar.
MON—A high level police official in Ye Township was killed and a civilian was injured in Lamaing town on Jan. 9. Ye Guerrilla Force (YGF) claimed responsibility for the attack and apologized for shooting a civilian. “I am really very sorry that the woman was hit by a bullet that pierced the officer’s head. I will take responsibility and solve all of the necessary issues,” the YGF stated.
SHAN—A 66-year-old man was killed by the Burma Army’s shelling of Moebye town on Jan. 8, according to a local resistance group. The victim is said to have been killed when an artillery shell landed on his home.
SAGAING—One was killed and seven were injured by the Burma Army’s shelling of two villages in Tigyaing Township on Jan. 9. One artillery shell landed on a monastery in Thangone village and another hit a school in Kanpauk village. “The heavy weapons [the Burma Army] fired fell on the monastery where locals were seeking refuge. The deceased’s name is U Kyaw Khina and he was over 70-years-old,” a local told DVB.
DVB READS—Yasmin Ullah is the author of “Hafsa and the Magical Ring,” a children’s book and tale about a Rohingya girl and her family forced from her home in Burma, now living in a refugee camp. DVB English On-Demand via YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or your favorite podcast player app.
DVB Peace Documentary 2022 Finalist “The Effect of Landmines in Chinland” tells the story of landmine victims and survivors in the armed conflict that has evolved in Chin State since the 2021 military coup. The devastating impact of landmines will continue to affect future generations. Over 100 people have already been killed or injured. Watch the film and learn more.
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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.
DVB’s Weekly Cartoon: The military council seeks to use elections as a means to solidify its control over Burma
Zeyar Thaw included on list of 10 famous people who died in 2022
Phyo Zeyar Thaw was included on the Council on Foreign Relations’ (CFR) list of 10 famous people who died in 2022. The Burmese hip-hop star, former National League for Democracy member of parliament, and pro-democracy activist, was executed by the military junta in July 2022. “Phyo Zeya Thaw had planned to return to rapping, but Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021, ending the country’s decade-long experiment with democracy. He instead helped lead opposition to the junta,” the CFR stated. Zeyar Thaw was arrested in November 2021 and convicted of masterminding attacks against the military. 88 Generation Students Group leader Kyaw Min Yu (aka Ko Jimmy) and two other activists were executed by the state alongside Phyo Zeyar Thaw. The CFR is a non-partisan think tank that specializes in U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Queen Elizabeth II, Shinzo Abe, and Jiang Zemin were included on the list.
Ethnic armed groups attend talks with regime
Representatives of the United Wa State Party (UWSP), National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) and Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP) attended the junta’s “peace talks” in Naypyidaw on Jan. 5 and 6. Regime media announced that the parties discussed agreements made during previous meetings but did not elaborate further. Five ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), including the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council (KNU/KNLA-PC) and the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), met with the junta Dec. 27-29. The five EAOs agreed on four points with the junta, including amending the 2008 constitution and holding a “multi-party democratic election.”
Resistance drone force claims successes on the battlefield
Federal Wings, a resistance force of drone operators derived from the People’s Defense Force (PDF) and ethnic armed groups, claimed that it conducted 437 operations against the Burma Army – killing 200 of its troops – in 2022. It admitted to losing some of its members in battles while expanding its capabilities to produce new drones. Federal Wings stated that it has fought alongside the Karen National Union (KNU) in Brigade 3 and Brigade 6. It has received over $265,000 USD from fundraisers organized by the National Unity Government (NUG) Ministry of Communications, Information and Technology (MOCIT).
News by Region
AYEYARWADDY—One man was killed and 64 were injured inside Pathein Prison on Jan. 6. At least eight people are now in critical condition. The victim was identified as Ko Wai Yan Phyo, 35, a member of a resistance group arrested last June. A source close to Ko Wai Yan Phyo’s family said he had been tortured for three months during interrogation inside the prison. His body was sent to Pathein Hospital. “One was killed and the other 13 are undergoing emergency treatment,” a source close to the prison told DVB. Regime media reported that the incident at Pathein Prison was “a riot” and that one man was killed “due to fighting between the prisoners.”
In response to this incident, the National Unity Government (NUG) Ministry of Human Rights made a statement on Jan. 8. It vowed to pursue justice for the prisoner killed and those injured in the crackdown by Pathein Prison authorities. It went on to state that the incident is “one of several instances of torture and abuse inside prisons” since the coup. It expressed its concern about the situation of many other “unjustly imprisoned civilians” across Burma.
KAREN—The NUG Kyain Seikgyi Township People’s Administration claimed that “hundreds” of Burma Army personnel were killed during fighting in Kyain Seikgyi Township. Coalition forces led by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) Brigade 6 raided bases belonging to the Burma Army’s Light Infantry Battalions 32, 283 and 284 in Kyain Seikgyi Township on Jan. 4. Airstrikes were conducted in retaliation. The exact number of casualties sustained by the Burma Army is unknown. Four resistance fighters were reportedly killed. According to reports, Burma Army troops occupied Kyain Seikgyi Hospital on Jan. 5, forcing patients to be discharged. There were reports of civilians killed and hundreds of thousands of people were displaced from their homes and are now in need of emergency aid.
MANDALAY—Five battalions of the Mandalay People’s Defense Force (MDY-PDF) and the National Unity Government (NUG) Ministry of Defense met on Jan. 5. “It was like an annual review. Our new resolution is to speed up the war in 2023,” Bo Moe Gyo, spokesperson of MDY-PDF said. MDY-PDF was founded in 2021 under NUG guidelines.
RAKHINE—Khaing Thu Kha, the Arakan Army (AA) spokesperson, claimed that the Arakan Liberation Party’s (ALP) allegations that it had killed three of its high ranking officers are ‘groundless accusations.’ The Commander-in-Chief of the ALP’s military wing Khaing Soe Myay, and two other officers, were assassinated in Sittwe on Jan. 4. The three were returning home after attending Burma’s 75th Independence Day celebrations. “This accusation is without any evidence and has turned out to be a complete fabrication to create hatred towards the AA,” Khaing Thu Kha said. Tensions between the AA and ALP have risen in recent months as the two armed groups have carried out tit-for-tat arrests across Rakhine State. | BURMESE
SHAN—Five Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) striking education department workers were arrested in Kutkai town on Jan. 6. “[Military forces] tracked them down,” a source said. The Burma Army and police have increased searches for civil servants supporting the CDM. This has forced many CDM supporters to evade arrest by seeking shelter in safer areas of northern Shan State.
SAGAING—A monk and three villagers in Depayin Kwal village were killed on Jan. 6. The village was then torched by the Burma Army, locals said. “Ashin Gandha Thara was 40-years-old and has been a monk for over 20 years. He graduated with a masters degree from Sitagu Buddhist University and was one of the ten patrons of the university. He was killed in the village monastery. The Burma Army entered and fired artillery inside the village. He did not try to flee. The troops also killed two people in the village and one of them was a local PDF member,” the monk’s nephew told DVB. Resistance forces vowed to retaliate. Over 70 houses in the village were destroyed by arson.
DVB PICKS—The latest junta amnesty and release of 7,012 prisoners on Jan. 4 didn’t see any political prisoners freed in Rakhine State. Find out why on DVB Reports.
Yasmin Ullah is the author of “Hafsa and the Magical Ring,” a children’s book that tells the story of a Rohingya girl displaced from her home in Burma and forced to live in a refugee camp with her family. Watch Yasmin read the book here.
DVB Reads is a digital storytelling project featuring the voices of writers, poets, translators, and bookworms, on why you should read a book, story or poem on Burma (Myanmar). It’s a recommended reading list for your ears. DVB English On-Demand via YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or your favourite podcast player.
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