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DVB Peace Doc: ‘Missing Home’; RCSS leader meets with junta for ‘peace talks’

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FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM

DVB Peace Doc: “Missing Home”

DVB Peace Documentary 2022 Finalist “Missing Home” shares the story of a Chin woman from Paletwa, Chin State. She lost her home and everything she owned in 2018, during the war between the Arakan Army (AA) and the Burma Army. In this documentary, she shares her hopes of one day returning home to Chin State, and her daily frustrations of not knowing how to communicate with others in either Burmese or Rakhine languages.

Electric taxis to run in Yangon and Naypyidaw

Forty Chinese-made electric vehicles (EV) are arriving in Burma and will operate as taxis at Yangon Airport and Tha Pyay Gone market in Naypyidaw, regime media reported. The junta’s Ministry of Energy stated that it will install EV charging points at 24 fuel stations in Yangon and at 14 fuel stations in Naypyidaw. According to municipal staff, the EV chargers will be installed in 11 townships of Yangon, including Thaketa, Sanchaung, South Okkalapa, Dala, Mingaladon, Hlaing Thar Yar, Shwe Pyi Thar, Dagon Seikkan, East Dagon, North Dagon and South Dagon. The 14 charging stations in Naypyidaw will be installed in five townships.

RCSS leader meets with junta for “peace talks”

The Chairperson of the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) questioned Burma’s lack of progress in its 75 years since independence from the British. Yawd Serk spoke on Jan. 24, the first day of “peace talks” between the RCSS/SSA and the junta in Naypyidaw. “If we continue to work towards a peace process for the future, we have to learn the mistakes from the past and prepare well. Although every government worked on a peace process, why can’t it succeed and sustain? We have to reconsider it, and build a country in accordance with the 1947 Panglong Agreement. In that way, we will achieve the goal of the Federal Democratic Union that all desire,” Yawd Serk added. The RCSS/SSA was a signatory to the 2015 Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).

News by Region

KACHIN—A security guard was killed and two others injured after an explosion occurred at a branch of the military-owned Myawaddy bank in Myitkyina town on Jan. 24. “Unidentified people left the bomb at the entrance of the bank. Military personnel used to guard the security office in front of the bank,” a resident said. The Burma Army stopped motorcycles passing by the bank and opened fire on motorcycles that refused to stop after the explosion. 

A member of the Shanni Solidarity Party was shot dead by an unidentified gunman in Namma town on Jan. 24. Tin Nyunt was also a former member of the military-proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). According to locals, he helped collect census data for voter lists. “He collected census data with other staff. I think he was attacked for this. He was shot in the head, but I don’t know who shot him,” a local said. 

RAKHINE—Regime media reported Brigadier General Soe Tint replaced Major General Myat Kyaw as the chairperson of its “special investigation tribunal,” set up in 2017 to investigate a massacre of Rohingya in Chut Pyin village of Rathedaung Township. The tribunal was established by the Burma Army on July 2, 2020 “to reveal the truth of the incident.” The investigation had been suspended due to the fact that witnesses and people with knowledge of the massacre were forced from their homes and no longer lived in the village. COVID-19 travel restrictions were also blamed for the suspension. The investigation will continue, according to reports. 

On Aug. 25, 2017, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) launched simultaneous attacks on more than 30 border guard police stations and an army battalion in northern Rakhine. Following the attack, the Burma military committed arson attacks and massacres against Rohingya civilians in Rathedaung’s Chut Pyin and Buthidaung’s Maung Nu villages coined “security clearance operations.” The Independent Commission on Enquiry (ICOE) announced in February 2020 that at least 100 locals were killed in Chut Pyin village, and no fewer than 100 were killed in Maung Nu village. The Burma Army claimed its tribunal was formed to examine these accusations.

SHAN—The Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army-North (SSPP/SSA-N) demanded an explanation as to why a fighter jet flew over its headquarters in Wan Hai, Kyethi Township without prior notice on Jan. 24. The SSPP claimed the flyover was “an insulting act,” and warned the junta not to repeat it again. The incident comes weeks after the SSPP met with the junta for “peace talks.” 

TANINTHARYI—Lin Lin Tun, a journalist from state media outlet MRTV-4, was killed in Kalain Aung town, Ye Phyu Township on Jan. 24. “He was from the military’s 401 Light Infantry Battalion. He used to play at the billiard table spot and gave information to the military. We killed him because he didn’t do his job well [as a journalist] and acted as a military informant,” said the anonymous spokesperson of a local resistance force.

YANGON—Two people were killed at a tea shop in Mayangone Township on Jan. 25, according to locals. “I heard six gunshots. The pair died instantly,” a local told DVB. The gunmen fled the scene. The Burma Army arrived afterwards to inspect the scene of the crime.

The junta’s census workers have been investigating political activists and striking civil servants while collecting data, according to residents of several townships. Locals told DVB that they were asked additional questions that were unrelated to the census. “Collecting census data is understandable. It is enough to ask for household lists and identity cards, but now they are asking about jobs. They are investigating whether there are civil servants or Civil Disobedience Movement [CDM] workers in a house,” said a resident in Sanchaung Township. The Burma Army arrested four people while census data was being collected in Sanchaung, Insein, and Hlaing townships, according to residents. Census data has been collected across Burma since Jan. 9.

Regime forces have been spotted riding buses to determine if CCTV cameras are turned on in the vehicles. Yangon bus passengers told DVB that soldiers boarded buses near Yangon General Hospital on Jan. 24 and questioned the drivers to find out whether or not its CCTV cameras were turned on. Armed soldiers checked passengers on the bus. The Yangon Region Transport Authority (YRTA) ordered CCTV cameras to be installed on Yangon public buses on Dec. 5, 2022. A surveillance system to monitor the buses was reactivated.

Missing Home

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DVB Peace Documentary 2022 Finalist “Missing Home” shares the story of a Chin woman from Paletwa, Chin State. She lost her home and everything she owned in 2018, during the war between the Arakan Army (AA) and the Burma Army (Tatmadaw). In this documentary, she shares her hopes to one day return home to Chin State, and her frustrations of not knowing how to communicate in either Burmese or Rakhine languages.

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Burma’s political and economic downward spiral since the 2021 military coup

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The junta’s Ministry for Planning, Finance and Industry stated that the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 3.2 percent after the first six months of 2022. It is expected to grow 3.7 percent in 2023. Local businesses have been affected by the political and economic crisis following the 2021 military coup in Burma. Foreign investment dropped as companies left the country in droves last year. 

The World Bank report of Global Economic Prospects published on June 7, 2022. It excluded Burma from its list of countries in the East Asia and Pacific region for economic development. “[The junta] said the country’s economy is growing. But businesses are slowly shrinking with so many restrictions in importing goods. I don’t know why they said this after seeing what kinds of improvement. I mean, it is not okay to transport goods from one place to another. In my view, they only do violence by showing off their weapons,” said an import-export agent on the condition of anonymity. 

Growing inflation rate

The Asia Development Bank issued a report in December 2022 stating that the inflation rate in Burma has risen to nearly 20 percent since the 2021 military coup. The inflation rate in 2020 was 7.3 percent. This proves the rate has increased dramatically. 

“In theory, the rate should be under 10 percent, if possible under five percent is the best in the view of business experts. If the rate is over 10 percent, people especially in the basic level, government staff who depend on superannuation and people with lower incomes will be harmed,” an economist told DVB on the condition of anonymity. 

“There was a budget deficit during the [National League for Democracy] NLD government because of the expense of COVID-19. But they didn’t print more notes [currency] as we, people said not so. Instead of that, they sold government bonds and people and banks bought them. But now, nobody buys them even if the junta sells those bonds. They even announced twice or three times about the bonds. They print more notes and [it creates] more inflation,” the economist added. Previous military juntas such as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) and the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), believed it could solve inflation by printing more bank notes. 

Foreign currency crisis 

A Central Bank of Myanmar statement on US dollars on April 3, 2022 shocked import-export agents. The CBM stated citizens with foreign currency income, including from exports, must be converted at the bank rate of 1,850 Kyat per dollar. “Since they converted a dollar with that rate, I didn’t do anything about export-import business,” an agent said. Following this CBM announcement, a junta spokesperson stated that it had reserved enough US dollars for the country. But there was no specific amount mentioned. 

“They were forced to exchange shares owned by foreigners with Kyat. The announcement about pending the foreign loans borrowed by the domestic companies is very bad. I think they’re doing it as they’re in need of dollars,” the economist added. A report from the World Bank in 2020 said Burma’s foreign exchange reserve was $7.67 billion USD. However, it is unknown how much of this amount has been spent by the junta since the coup. 

US dollar market

In 2022, the value of one US dollar reached a record high of over 4,000 Kyat. As a result, commodity prices and the price of imported goods rose. The CBM announced on Aug.30 that it would provide over US$ 200 million through the foreign exchange market in order to relieve rising prices of basic commodities due to the high price of imported fuel oil. Since then, the value of one US dollar dropped to 3,500-3,600 Kyat from 4,300-4,400 kyat last September.

The price of a liter of octane dropped to 230 kyat. The price of diesel dropped to 105 kyat. But commodity prices did not decrease. “Selling those dollars works for the short term. But how many they can sell in the future and how much do they have? For me, it can solve problems for a while. If they sell dollars as much as the market needs, the price of kyat will be stabilized. But they should discuss with the experts, otherwise, their statements make a joke for the people. People no longer believe in them as they release as they like,” the economist explained. In the last few months of 2022, the CBM raised the dollar exchange rate to 2,100 Kyat (from 1,850 Kyat). It also tried to fix the dollar price in the market. Currently, the price of one US dollar has dropped to under 3,000 Kyat. 

Gold market 

Depending on the foreign currency exchange rate and international gold prices, a tical of academy gold in Burma cost 1.85 million Kyat in January 2022. After eight months, the price jumped to a record high of 3.8 million Kyat. Last year, the price of domestic gold rose by almost 2 million Kyat. The Gold Entrepreneurs Associations in Mandalay and Yangon allowed the sale of 10 ticals of gold per person. This resulted in the gold price decreasing. “People want to buy gold if they can’t buy it in the market. If they can buy it, they don’t want it anymore. So, the associations sold the gold and the price dropped,” a gold merchant in Yangon said. On Dec. 31, 2022, the value of a tical of gold sold in the market for 2.6 million Kyat.

Automobile market

The price of automobiles almost doubled in Yangon in 2022. The junta banned the import of cars from overseas in September 2021, and the value of cars rose by a small percentage. According to brokers, this has never happened in the history of Burma. “Rich people monopolized the car market by buying many cars without caring about the prices. Then they stored them, as the US dollar and gold prices were higher that time and they wanted to invest their money in cars. Because of that, many people including brokers got in trouble,” a car broker said. 

Property Market

The property market of 2022 was chaotic. “There was no normal price fixed by the real estate agents. People buy and sell with the prices they want. And selling and buying rates were high as well. For example, a family moved from Yangon to Mandalay and Burma to foreign countries. They sold their houses and invested in new places, but they did that quietly. So, in conclusion, it was chaos,” a real estate agent said. The rental prices for commercial use were also one and a half times higher than normal. 

Foreign trading 

Min Aung Hlaing told a meeting in Naypyidaw in October 2022 that the country had received a trade surplus of $35.51 million USD from April to September of the 2022 fiscal year. According to the data released by junta’s Ministry of Commerce, the export value was over $11 billion USD and the import value was the same from April to November of the 2022-2023 fiscal year. During the NLD government, the trade volume reached $34.35 billion USD for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. 

“The Asia Development Bank calculated that the country’s economy rose to seven percent of GDP. The NLD government changed its policies and pushed the right path. The military council [junta] said there was no improvement during the NLD government but I don’t know how it said that. Economy during the NLD government declined a little bit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But that situation has happened in other countries as well. The country’s economy became worse after the coup,” a business advisor said. 

Min Aung Hlaing blamed the NLD government for the declining economy, and said he is trying to improve it. He told a meeting in August 2022, that the country will reach the middle-income level in the next five years if the country makes the effort. Two years since the military coup and Burma’s economy is collapsing. Forty percent of the population are under the poverty line, according to the World Bank.

Junta launches airstrikes on Chin’s Mindat Township; Plans to amend Political Parties Registration Law

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FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM

Regime launches airstrikes in Chin’s Mindat Township

At least five civilians were injured and religious buildings were destroyed in airstrikes on Chin’s Mindat Township from Jan. 7 to 23, according to the Mindat Administration.  Locals were injured and a Buddhist monastery was damaged in Paleikhtwi village on Jan. 23. Similar attacks took place on Jan. 22 and 24. Ko Yaw Man, a spokesperson from the administration, told DVB that the Burma Army has grown reliant on artillery and airstrikes in most of the township since it is under the control of resistance groups. Residents have been urged to construct bomb shelters.

Junta plans to amend Political Parties Registration Law 

Min Aung Hlaing stated that there are plans to amend Burma’s Political Parties Registration Law at a meeting in Naypyidaw on Jan. 23. “Although there are many political parties in the country, they are weak in representing the people,” he said. The junta leader did not clarify which section of the law will be amended. Min Aung Hlaing has repeatedly vowed he will hold an election in Burma “without threats and coercion.” The National Unity Government (NUG), and other anti-coup resistance groups, have urged the public to boycott the junta’s planned election. There have been multiple reports of resistance fighters attacking officials collecting census data for voter lists.

NUG “sells out” of condos in its fundraising program

The NUG raised $10.35 million USD within 18 hours of launching its “Spring Valor Condominium Apartments” on Jan. 21. The programme was launched to sell prospective condominiums on land owned by the Burma Army in an affluent area located on Kabar Aye Pagoda Road. All condominiums were sold out within 18 hours. “It is our desire to participate in the fight to end dictatorship rather than to own an apartment,” wrote Tin Tun Naing, the NUG Minister for Planning and Finance. The NUG has auctioned off properties owned by the Burma Army and Min Aung Hlaing.  

News by Region

KAREN—Fighting between coalition forces led by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and the Burma Army escalated in Payathonzu (aka Three Pagodas Pass), located in Kyainseikgyi district, on Jan. 23. Government buildings, including military intelligence, the administration and immigration offices were burned down, according to locals. “Nobody went outside to extinguish the fire as a shootout was taking place. People stayed inside and took care of their families. We don’t know exactly how many offices were destroyed in the fire,” a local told DVB. Several residents fled their homes due to the fighting and fear of an airstrike. Burma Army reinforcements arrived in Payathonzu town, according to coalition forces. Local news outlets reported that the Border Guard Force (BGF) assisted the Burma Army in regaining control of the town. 

MON—Aung Chan Aye, a social media influencer on Facebook, was arrested and charged with incitement on Jan. 22. He was detained at his family home in Kawhtin village in Kyaikto Township after he returned from Thailand. “The township administration informed the military to arrest him,” a local said. The junta issued an arrest warrant for Aung Chan Aye for participating in anti-coup protests in 2021.

NAYPYIDAW—The regime-run Directorate of Investment and Companies Administration deregistered more than 5,000 companies in 2022 “for failure to file yearly reports” in violation of the Myanmar Companies Law. Around 400 to 500 businesses were delisted each month in 2022, with the majority being hotels, travel agencies, and construction firms.

RAKHINE—Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) sheltering at a camp in Rathedaung Township have experienced difficulties in receiving basic necessities. People living in the Zaydipyin IDP camp, home to 1,053 – including children and elderly – are asking for immediate assistance. “Homes are completely damaged. We need to repair them. We do not have any money since we do not have jobs. We need help from donors to provide us with food and shelter,” one man said. A temporary ceasefire between the Arakan Army (AA) and Burma Army in Rakhine State began on Nov. 26, but the displaced families have not received the assistance they require, according to them. “The living circumstances are not good. We have not received assistance for around four months,” said the person in charge of the camp.

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NUG announces PDF strike kills four; Resistance groups escalate attacks on junta officials conducting census

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FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM

NUG announces PDF strike kills four, including two military intelligence officers 

Two military intelligence officers and two others were killed by resistance forces, according to the National Unity Government (NUG) Bago Region People’s Defense Force (PDF). The four were killed during an attack on a vehicle along the Yangon-Mandalay Highway on Jan. 22. Major Than Htut – head of an interrogation center in Yangon Region – and his sergeant were killed during a shootout. The two others were captured, then reportedly killed trying to escape. The Bago PDF claimed that the major led investigations that resulted in the arrests of resistance fighters. The attack was conducted alongside Taungoo District PDF.  

The NUG Ministry of Defense stated that Major Than Htut was involved in the arrest and interrogation of Kyaw Min Yu (aka Ko Jimmy) and Phyo Zayar Thaw. The two prominent pro-democracy figures were executed by the junta last July. The NUG confirmed that the major was in charge of interrogation, as he worked for the Burma Army No. 1 military intelligence corps in Yangon Region. The attack on the major’s vehicle was planned in advance by resistance forces, according to the NUG. 

Resistance groups escalate attacks on junta officials conducting census

There have been 28 attacks on administration offices and junta officials collecting census data from Jan. 9 to 23, RFA reported. At least seven people, including police officers and an administrator, were killed in the attacks. As the junta seeks to collect census data in preparation for its planned election later this year, resistance forces have escalated attacks across the country. A resistance group attacked an administration office in Kanbalu Township in Sagaing Region on Jan. 21 in order to prevent local officials from compiling voter lists. It claimed that two Pyu Saw Htee militiamen were killed and another person was injured. Three junta officials were injured in a landmine attack on an administration office. Regime media reported that 13 election commission offices have been attacked. The NUG and some Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) have called on the Burmese public to reject the junta’s 2023 election.

News by Region

AYEYARWADDY—An administrator and his wife were arrested in Einme Township on Jan. 20. They are accused of hiding weapons, according to locals. “Army and police personnel arrived at the home to arrest them. The house was also searched. When the admin was not at home when they came, they arrested his wife and a 3-year-old child along with three other women who were visiting the house. The admin was arrested in Yarthitgyi village that same night. ” a local said. The administrator and his wife are in detention but their children and the three women were released on Jan. 21.

KACHIN—A doctor from Hpakant Township was arrested by the Burma Army on Jan. 23, according to locals. The reason for the arrest is still unclear. Prior to the arrest, coalition forces led by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) attacked a Burma Army outpost. “It is believed that the Burma Army suffered heavy casualties. Heavy weapons were fired at the villagers after that,” a local told DVB.

KAREN—The Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) demanded an explanation from the junta on why an airstrike – injuring two people and damaging two buildings – was carried out on the residence of DKBA Colonel Saw A Wan in Kyain Chaung village, Payathonzu (aka Three Pagodas Pass) Township, Karen State on Jan. 21. Read more here.

YANGON—Residents of townships across the city have faced water shortages since the morning of Jan. 21 without warning. “I learned that it may last for two days. I can’t say for certain,” said a source working in a township administration office. Daily hours-long power outages and other disruptions of utility services have persisted in Burma since the 2021 military coup. 

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DKBA demands answers after junta airstrike on Commander’s housing compound

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The Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) demanded an explanation from the junta on why an airstrike – injuring two people and damaging two buildings – was carried out on the residence of DKBA Colonel Saw A Wan in Kyain Chaung village, Payathonzu (aka Three Pagodas Pass) Township, Karen State on Jan. 21. Three bombs landed in a housing compound belonging to Colonel Saw A Wan, according to DKBA spokesperson Colonel Saw Sein Win. Payathonzu Township is located in ​​the Karen National Union (KNU) 6th Brigade, where clashes between forces led by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and Burma Army have taken place. The DKBA told DVB that it had launched an investigation into the junta airstrike. 

“We are still investigating the details of the motive of the attack. It is still unclear whether it was a mistake or intentional,” said Colonel Saw Sein Win. “Our group primarily maintains a policy of neutrality and also assists the Burma Army. In the same way, we communicate with the KNU as well.” Regime media has not commented on the airstrike. The DKBA signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in October 2015. Following the 2021 coup, it has participated with several Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) in the junta’s “peace talks” in Naypyidaw. There have been reports that DKBA battalions have aided resistance forces fighting the Burma Army in Karen State since the coup.

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