Toru Kubota convicted of sedition by military court in Burma
The Japanese government confirmed that filmmaker Toru Kubota arrived home on Nov. 18 after his release in a prisoner amnesty in Burma. Kubota, 26, was sentenced to ten years in prison last month. Hirokazu Matsuno, the chief cabinet secretary in Japan’s government, said that the junta falsely stated that Kubota was freed because of pressure from Japanese officials. Japan has called for an immediate halt to all violence in Burma, and for the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. Japan support’s the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus.
Upon arrival home to Japan, Kubota revealed at a press conference that he was forced to hold a protest sign by junta officials after his arrest. “I was told to hold those signs for photo shoots just after we were arrested,” he said. Kubota said the photos of him holding an anti-coup protest banner, with several others, was staged on July 30, 2022. Junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun himself displayed these photos and told regime media it was evidence that Kubota was participating in street protests in Yangon. Kubota was convicted of sedition and sentenced to 10 years. He was released in a prisoner amnesty on Nov. 17 and returned home to Tokyo the following day.
DVB brings you the Weekly News in English: – Up to 6,000 people, including four foreigners, released from prison in amnesty – President Joe Biden commits to dialogue on Burma; Malaysia rejects junta elections plan – Beauty queen Han Lay begins cross Canada tour, starting in Toronto on Nov. 19 – Mayco Naing releases Burma Spring book featuring poetry and photography DVB English News – https://english.dvb.no Follow DVB English on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/DVB-English-… Follow DVB English on Twitter – https://twitter.com/dvb_english Subscribe to DVB English News Briefing – mail [email protected] Subscribe to DVB Youtube – https://youtube.com/dvbtvnews Follow DVB on Telegram – https://t.me/dvbtvnews Follow DVB on Instagram – https://instagram.com/dvbtvnews
Military council frees thousands from prison in amnesty
The plane carrying Sean Turnell has landed in Melbourne, bringing the Australian economist back home after he endured 650 days behind bars in Burma. The former adviser to deposed leader Aung Sun Suu Kyi was flown to Bangkok last night before boarding a flight to Melbourne early this morning. Turnell was released yesterday in an amnesty of 5,700 prisoners to commemorate Burma’s National Day. Former British ambassador Vicky Bowman, Japanese filmmaker Turo Kubota and Burmese-American botanist Kyaw Htay Oo were among others released. Read more here.
88 Generation activist released from prison
Mya Aye was released from Insein Prison on Nov. 17. “I’m together with the people, always together,” the former 88 Generation Students Group member said. Mya Aye was arrested in February, 2021 and charged under Section 505(c) for an email he sent in 2015 that was critical of Burmese ethnonationalism and Thein Sein’s administration. A court inside Insein Prison sentenced him to two years in prison last March. Figures such as writer Maung Thar Cho, Abbot Shwe Nya Wah, and NLD Central Committee member Dr. Myo Nyunt were also released. According to reports, a civilian caught taking photos in front of Insein Prison was arrested.Student unions mark Burma’s National Day with flash protests
Protests were held to mark Burma’s National Day across the country. The All Burma Federation of Student Unions conducted a flash mob protest with other student unions in Yangon. Its iconic peacock flag was displayed with a banner reading: “Raise up the national peacock flag. Demolish the military dictatorship.” Burma annually commemorates the day in 1920 that students protested against the British colonial education system.
The NUG calls for the elimination of the junta’s “slave” education
The National Unity Government (NUG) wished for all ethnic nationalities in Burma to unite against the “imperialist dictatorship.” The NUG reiterated that its first act would be the establishment of a federal democratic union. “Currently, there is no colonial education in Burma, but there are still many remnants of the military’s slave education. We need to revolutionize and demolish the ideologies that promote hatred and disunity among us…During our time, I want to build national unity that has never been achieved in more than 70 years since [Burma’s] independence,” said Duwa Lashi La, the NUG Acting President.
News by Region
RAKHINE—Local media reported that the Burma Army told Gyaik Chaung villagers in Maungdaw Township that it was not responsible for the attack that killed at least 11 civilians and injured 50 others on Nov. 16. Three artillery shells exploded in a home where families were gathered for a child’s naming ceremony. “The military tried to pay off the villagers. Then after that failed, I found out that the military threatened the villagers to give testimony and forced them to give the answers they wanted,” a local said. A Burma Army expert suggested that the villagers may have been instructed to claim that the Arakan Army (AA) was responsible for the attack. “It is clear that the military will ask locals to claim that the other side fired the shells or they do not know which was responsible,” the expert said.
AYEYARWADDY—At least 12 students in Pathin Township were arrested for allegedly attending online classes run by the NUG. according to local sources. The high school students were arrested between Nov.12 to 15. They are now being questioned at Pathin Myoma Police Station. In September, a student was detained for nearly a month for attending a school run by the NUG.
BAGO—More than 2,000 residents living in Shwegyin town have been ordered to leave the area. The town is located in Nyaung Lay Pin District, home to the Karen National Union’s (KNU) 3rd Brigade. A local told DVB that junta officials ordered families to leave starting on Nov. 14. They received warnings that the area may come under attack by the Burma Army.
CHIN—A 14-year-old boy was killed and two others injured when a water company came under attack in Hakha town on Nov. 15. “The boy was killed and two staff from the company were injured. The [Burma] military fired indiscriminately,” a local told DVB. On Oct. 19, two school children were killed and a 7-year-old girl was injured due to a similar attack by the Burma Army in Hakha Township.
SHAN—A man was killed and another one injured in Muse Township on Nov. 17. Unverified reports stated that the Burma Army was fighting against the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). Armed groups such as the TNLA, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), Shan State Progressive Party/Shan State Army-North (SSPP/SSA), and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) are based in northern Shan State.
TANINTHARYI—The former Tanintharyi Prime Minister Dr. Lae Lae Maw and 104 others were released from prisons in Tanintharyi Region on Nov. 17. Only 12 political prisoners were freed, according to a junta official. Over 1,000 people, including activists, politicians, students, and striking civil servants, have been detained in Tanintharyi Region since the 2021 military coup, an activist said.
Han Lay, 23, is a beauty queen who was crowned Miss Grand International Myanmar 2020. She spoke out against the 2021 military coup in Burma from Thailand. Facing arrest and prosecution for her actions, Han Lay refused to return home and decided to seek asylum in Canada last September. In the first episode of DVB Athan, Han Lay discusses the harrowing ordeal she faced at Thai immigration, where she was stuck for one week, awaiting resettlement to Canada. DVB Athan (Democratic Voice of Burma) is a digital storytelling platform that gives voice to people from Burma (Myanmar).
The military council announced today that it had granted amnesty to over 5,700 prisoners across the country including four foreigners and public figures to commemorate Burma’s National Day. A total of 5,774 prisoners – including 5,098 men and 676 women – have been released and the regime claimed it was an act to “emphasize humanitarianism” in accordance with Sec.401, sub-sec 1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The order was issued by the secretary of the military council Lt-Gen Aung Lin Dwe. Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing is said to have granted the amnesty with the stipulation that the released prisoners will have to serve their remaining sentences if they commit another crime in addition to new charges. Former Minister for the Office of the State Counsellor of Burma Kyaw Tint Swe, member of Union Election Commission Than Htay, former prime minister of Tanintharyi Region Dr. Lae Lae Maw, artist Htein Lin, and comedian Sinma were among those included in the amnesty.
Four foreigners, including Australian economist Sean Turnell, former British ambassador Vicky Bowman, Japanese filmmaker Turo Kubota and Burmese-American Kyaw Htay Oo were also released. The military council said the four were deported after their release due to “diplomatic ties between countries.” Over 11 public figures charged under Section 505(A) of the Penal Code including director Hpone Thaik, actress Phway Phway, model Hay Man Thu Thu Aung, director Mal Min Bon, presenter Su Mon, singer Ni Ni Khin Zaw have had their charges withdrawn. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) announced that a record 13,015 people have been arrested over a year and half since the military coup.
Shelling kills at least 10 at birthday celebration in Maungdaw
Ten villagers were killed and over 50 were injured in Gyaik Chaung village, Maungdaw Township on Nov. 16. “There was a birthday celebration for a newborn baby this afternoon and almost all the villagers were there. The artillery fired from Kyain Chaung 24 Strategic military camp dropped at the center of the celebration, killing seven people on the spot and injuring more than 50,” a local told DVB. The injured were sent to Maungdaw Hospital. “Ten are now dead. I think almost all of the villagers are injured,” another told DVB. Gyaik Chaung village has a population of around 500 and is primarily inhabited by ethnic Mro people.
Military council reshuffles ministers
The military council sacked two of its ministers and shuffled some ministerial positions. The order was issued by Lt. Gen Aung Lin Dwe on Nov. 14. Hla Moe was appointed the Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, and General Myo Thant is now the Minister of Construction. The two previous ministers have retired, according to junta media.
News by Region
KAREN—Three Chinese nationals were killed, and eight others were injured, after an airstrike on a mining site in Payathonzu Township on Nov. 16, according to locals. The mining site is located 18 miles from the border town of Payathonzu. The injured were sent to hospital, a local defense force said.
KARENNI—One child was killed and eight were injured at a preschool in Dawniku village, Demoso Township on Nov. 15. The Burma Army shelled the village, an information officer of the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) said. “There were nine family members inside the preschool. All of them were hit by the artillery and this morning a child died and his father is in critical condition. Three other people in the family are also in critical condition,” the KNDF reported. No clashes between the KNDF and Burma Army have been reported this month.
“Those villages are only home to villagers. None of our regiments are there. There has been no fighting since the first week of November. They are targeting civilians and will not stop,” the KNDF stated. The Burma Army shelled Pekon Township on Nov. 14, injuring three civilians, the Karenni War Refugee Assistance Network announced. Locals displaced from previous fighting have grown fearful of the shelling. A total of 28 civilians were injured and 51 houses were destroyed in Karenni State from Nov. 1 to 15, the KNDF reported.
KACHIN—A house believed to be owned by a member of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) was bulldozed in Myitkyina Township on Nov. 16. “Around 50 [Burma Army] troops arrived in three military vehicles at around 5 a.m. The people living in the house were ordered to leave. They demolished the house claiming that it is connected with KIO officers that were arrested at a KTV,” a resident old DVB. Kachin news outlets reported that 16 people believed to be KIO administrative officers were arrested at a KTV in Myitkyina on Nov. 11. Three of them were released the following day, according to reports.
MAGWAY—The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and People’s Defense Force (PDF) fired missiles at the Magway Air Force HQ on the morning of Nov. 15. “That attack was a retaliation for [airstrikes in] Karen and Kachin states. If they kill one civilian, we will kill 10 of them. It was an attack on an airbase that houses aircraft that killed innocent people,” Saw David, a representative of the defense force, told DVB. Security forces conducted strict inspections at the entrances of Magway and checked vehicles.
MANDALAY—Eighty Burma Army troops were either killed or injured, and three military vehicles were damaged, in Madaya Township on Nov. 16. An alliance of resistance groups claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Patheingyi Information, a scout team for local resistance groups.
SAGAING—Six resistance group outposts, based along the India-Burma border in Tamu Township, were captured by the Burma Army on Nov. 15. “The Burma Army has fired heavy weapons from its base. One of our comrades died by the heavy shelling. There were also exchanges of gunfire at close range. There may be casualties on their side,” a representative of Tamu People’s Defense Force told DVB.
“I sincerely apologize for making the public sad because of the reports of the seizures. We call on people not to feel depressed and to be patient because our revolution must be successful in future,” a member of the Burma Student Organization (BSO) posted to Facebook. “They started shooting heavy guns and continuously fired with machine guns. We had to retreat because our weapons were not comparable,” another local defense force said. According to residents, the Burma Army burned down a school in Tamu town on Nov. 15 just before the attack on the outposts.
RAKHINE—Three locals were killed and three others were injured in Chaung Tu village in Kyauktaw Township on Nov. 16. “Three heavy weapons fell on the village at noon. Three men died on the spot,” a local told DVB. Residents fled the village. The civilian death toll in Rakhine has steadily increased due to the Burma Army’s indiscriminate shelling.
*All stories are based on breaking news, and are reported with information that DVB receives in real time. DVB will update stories on our social media pages or website as and when new or more accurate information becomes available.
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