FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM

Hpakant Massacre updates: 

Around 60 bodies are said to have been buried on Oct. 26, and there are still many seriously wounded who have been unable to receive medical treatment. The death toll is widely expected to continue to increase. As of Oct. 25, the Burma Army is reportedly still blocking roads to prevent medical teams from reaching the injured.

The Karen National Union expressed its condolences on Oct. 25 to the Kachin people and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) regarding the Hpakant Massacre. The Karen armed group said the Burma Army has committed a “war crime” and vowed it will fight together with all revolutionary forces to bring an end to the dictatorship. 

Gun Maw, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) vice chairperson, claimed that A Nang Pa is “not a Kachin Independence Army (KIA) outpost.” He reiterated that the site where Kachin people were gathered, and killed by junta airstrikes, is a small market. Gun Maw expressed his condolences to the victims and their families. 

 Burma Army raids the homes of Hpakant Massacre victims

The Burma Army has searched the houses of KIA officers and the wealthy individuals who were killed during the airstrikes in Hpakant Township since Oct.25. Read more here.

ASEAN offers paltry concern over rising violence in Burma

Cambodia, the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asians (ASEAN), claimed it is “gravely concerned” in a statement issued on Oct. 26 over escalating violence in Burma. Read more here.

Burma Civil Society Open Letter to ASEAN receives 505 Signatories

The number of civil society organizations in Burma that have signed an open letter to ASEAN ahead of its foreign ministers meeting on Oct. 27 has reached 505. The letter states ASEAN must “cease inviting all political and non-political representatives of the Myanmar military junta to all summits and meetings, and revise the mandate of the Special Envoy to Myanmar. It calls for ASEAN to recognize the National Unity Government (NUG). This list, dated Oct. 26, includes regional and international organizations. Read more here.

News by Region

MAGWAY—Four Thayat Prison officials were reprimanded after a political prisoner on death row escaped. “Those who had been investigated were moved to civilian posts. Now there are new officers in the prison,” a source close to the prison said. Security has been tightened in prisons across the country since the bomb blast at Insein Prison last week.

MON—A police officer was killed at a restaurant in Zaymatwe village on Oct. 25. Thaton People’s Defense Force (PDF) claimed responsibility for the attack. A member of the Thaton PDF told DVB that the police officer refused to pay for fuel and threatened local residents. A Pyu Saw Htee militia member was killed by the Thaton PDF last month.

NAYPYIDAW—A major from the Burma Army medical corps was detained and interrogated for expressing condolences to the Hpakant massacre victims on Facebook. Dr. Kyaw Phone Myint was arrested on Oct. 25 in Naypyidaw. “He changed his Facebook profile picture to black. People from his hospital reported about it,” a source close to the hospital told DVB. It is being reported that his wife is now being monitored.

SAGAING—The Burma Army killed a woman and arrested two men after opening fire in Magyi Oam village in Butalin Township on Oct. 25. Junta forces conducted an offensive against the Butalin People’s Defense Force (PDF). “They fired at civilians without mercy. They could have raided the PDF camp [without hurting civilians] if they wanted to,” a source told DVB. A vehicle, five motorcycles and explosives worth K30 million ($14,400 USD) were seized at the PDF camp. “Before they raided the camp, we planted explosives inside the vehicle as we knew they would destroy everything, and the vehicle exploded. At least 15 of them were injured and some might have been killed. We found many pools of blood when they left the camp,” said Ko Ninja from Butalin PDF.

Burma Army artillery shells killed one person and injured eight, including a child, in Sagaing Township on Oct. 24. “They randomly shot at the villages…It is also known that some people have been injured and killed due to the shells falling on the beach of the Mu River, but the exact number is not yet known.” a local told DVB.

YANGON—A 100 household administrator in North Okkalapa Township was shot on Oct. 26. “He is famous as a military informant and has been shot twice including this time. He is now at the hospital and his condition is unknown. Many people were arrested because of him,” a local told DVB. Security forces blocked off streets  and inspected passersby after the incident.