A Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) worker claimed that a local defense force killed her father, retired policeman Cho Lwin, based on the false assumption that he was a military informant.
Cho Lwin, 60, was killed in Thabya village of Launglone Township in Tanintharyi Region on Oct. 18. He was reported to have been shot on his motorbike. The Launglone People’s Defense Force (PDF) claimed to have carried out the attack. It alleged that Cho Lwin was a military informant and organized training sessions for pro-junta Pyusawhti militias.
Cho Lwin’s daughter, herself a CDM member, told DVB that the Launglone PDF claims were false.
“I myself joined CDM and participated in the revolution. Now I have to lose both my father and my job. Many people know that my father is not what they accuse him to be. He has already retired. He was living normally,” she explained.
The Launglone PDF statement said that Cho Lwin was a former police sergeant, but the daughter said that he had retired from being a police warrant officer. Relatives and friends of Cho Lwin confirmed that he was, in fact, retired. The police had attempted to give him assignments after last year’s coup, but he had declined.
Launglone residents told DVB that Cho Lwin had recently visited a police station. But they added that there had never been allegations made that he was working with the junta or training Pyusawhti militias. According to them, an investigation into the murder of retired local policeman Cho Lwin has not been initiated, despite his daughter’s statements that he was killed by the Launglone PDF for being an alleged military informant.
Relatives of political prisoners killed during Insein Prison attack
Visiting family members of jailed political prisoners were among those killed during the attack at Insein Prison on Oct. 18. “Those who were injured are members of the political prisoners’ families,” a former political prisoner with knowledge of the incident told DVB. Read more here.
Gem fair organized by the regime begins
The 2022 Mid-Year Gems and Jewelry Fair is in Naypyidaw from Oct.19 to 25. Four hundred pairs of pearls, 120 sets of gems and 2150 sets of jade are to be sold through an open tender system. Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, Russian Embassy officials, and Russian businessmen attended the opening on Oct.19. “Security was tightened on the opening day as Min Aung Hlaing was there. No photos were allowed, not even with mobile phones. Security forces immediately asked anyone taking photos to delete the pictures,” an attendee to the opening told DVB. The floor prices for pearls are set in USD, jade and gem sets are sold in Euro. Foreign traders can pay in USD, Euro, and Thai baht. Local traders may only use Burmese kyat. Around 200 local and Chinese traders are attending the fair.
Dozens of undocumented Burma nationals arrested in Thailand
More than 50 Burma nationals were arrested for illegal entry along with three Thai drivers in Rattaphum district, Songkhla province in southern Thailand last night, a local Thai media outlet reported. The 50 job seekers were arrested by Rattaphum authorities during an inspection at a checkpoint while they were traveling in two vehicles along the Asia Highway. Another vehicle carrying luggage was also seized near Phatthalung province. The arrested workers were sent to a Rattaphum police station to be prosecuted under immigration laws.
News by Region
YANGON—A Burma Army captain, his wife, and a soldier, were killed in Hlaing Township. “All three were shot dead at the bus stop. We heard ten gunshots,” a local said. Last month, a retired high-ranking Burma Army general and his son-in-law were killed in Hlaing Township. Fourteen have been killed and 33 have been injured by explosions and gunfire in Yangon this month.
CHIN—Two six-year-old boys were killed by a Burma Army drone in Bon Lon village on Oct. 19. “The boys were killed and a girl was seriously injured due to the explosion,” a local said. Bon Lon village is located 20 miles from Hakha Township.
KACHIN—A man was killed and another man was injured during an explosion at Ye Lal village in Shwegu Township on Oct. 19. “Children picked up the explosive. Adults took it and clicked it [accidentally]. A man who held the bomb was killed when it activated. Another man near him was injured,” a local told DVB. Shwegu township has been the site of frequent clashes between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Burma Army.
MAGWAY—The Burma Army arrested 125 people and burned down six houses in Phat Taw Yay village, Natmauk Township on Oct. 19. “It seems they [Burma Army] will occupy the village for many days. We are not attacking them as they are using civilians as human shields,” a spokesperson of the Beikthano People’s Defense Force (PDF) told DVB. Burma Army troops threatened to burn down the entire village if information was not forthcoming. A 50-year-old man was killed on Oct. 17, according to locals.
SHAN—A deputy battalion commander of the Burma Army was killed near a car repair shop located in Muse’s 105th mile trade zone on Oct. 18. “He was shot seven times,” a local told DVB. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Burma Army troops deployed to Naungcho Township are stealing food and valuables from locals, according to villagers. “The [Burma] army increased its presence in the villages of Mandalay and the border of Shan State. They are occupying schools and monasteries. They stole valuables, liquor, beer, and other food [items] from two stalls from two villages and left in their vehicles. Shop owners did not dare to say anything,” a local said. The Burma Army sent reinforcements to the area last July, after clashes broke out between jutan troops and the Mandalay People’s Defense Force (PDF) in Naungcho Township.
Visiting family members of jailed political prisoners were among those killed during the attack at Insein Prison on Oct. 18. “Those who were injured are members of the political prisoners’ families,” a former political prisoner with knowledge of the incident told DVB.
The attack at Insein Prison yesterday resulted in eight people killed and 12 people injured. “My friend’s mother was among the visitors killed,” said a man close to the families affected. Regime media confirmed that three prison officials and five women visitors to the prison were killed, another five men and eight women were injured following two explosions and the subsequent firefight between the Burma Army and resistance forces.
Prison security has been tightened across the country. The delivery of letters and parcels to prisons has been suspended. “I can’t even approach the prison,” said the mother of a political prisoner who sent mail to her son jailed at Bago’s Thayarwati Prison. “The event in Insein can affect prisons all over the country. Since it [was] caused by a parcel bomb,” said U Tun Kyi, a member of the Association of Former Political Prisoners. The National Unity Government (NUG) Human Rights Minister, U Aung Myo Min, issued a statement condemning the attack at Insein Prison. DVB is unable to reach the victims’ families for comment. This story is developing and will be updated. Read more at DVB English.
Eight people were killed during an attack at Insein Prison on Oct. 19. Two explosions occurred at the prison’s parcel receiving area. Read more here.
One killed and five apprehended after Sagaing prison break
Five escapees were re-captured and one was killed in a major prison break in Sagaing’s Hkamti. Fourteen political prisoners broke out of the prison around 3 a.m. on Oct. 18 and fled, according to locals. Read more here.
One million people displaced from their homes since coup
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reports that there are nearly 1.4 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Burma as of Oct. 10. Around one million have been displaced since the coup last year. More than 16,000 of the IDPs have become displaced since fighting between the Arakan Army and Burma Army resumed in Rakhine State and Chin’s Paletwa Township. Around 1,000 residents have become displaced across Shwegu Township in Kachin State as fighting has intensified since the beginning of October. Most of the IDPs in Shwegu returned after the security situation stabilized later in the month. UNOCHA states that ambush attacks and airstrikes have intensified in townships of Karen and Mon states as well as Sagaing and eastern Bago regions. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP Burma) reports that at least 2,367 civilians have been killed since the coup. A total of 15,875 people have been arrested. Data collected by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) estimates that 26,794 people have been killed in armed conflict and political violence since the military ousted the government last year.
Malaysia deports 150 asylum seekers from Burma
Malaysia deported 150 Burma nationals and plans to send more back in the future, according to Reuters. Those deported include six former Burma Navy officers seeking asylum. The officers were arrested by Malaysian security forces last month and were deported on Oct. 6. One officer and his wife were detained upon return to Yangon. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expressed alarm over the deportations. “Not only in Malaysia but in the region, people fleeing Myanmar must be allowed access to territory to seek asylum and be protected against refoulement,” the UN agency stated. The deportations come as the Malaysian government has positioned itself as a strong critic of Burma’s junta. Deportations in Malaysia have recently surged as immigration policies have tightened in the country.
U Kyaw Moe Tun warns UN of Burma-Russia links
Kyaw Moe Tun, Burma’s Permanent Representative to the UN, urged the international community to keep a close eye on the junta in Burma after it signed a contract with a Russian company to build a small nuclear power plant. Kyaw Moe Tun made the remark during a speech on nuclear weapons at the first committee of the United Nations General Assembly’s 77th session on Oct. 18. Kyaw Moe Tun represents Burma’s National Unity Government (NUG) at the UN, which is composed of ousted lawmakers, ethnic minority and civil society leaders that reject military rule and want to reinstate democracy in Burma.
News by Region
YANGON—People have reportedly had to wait up to three months to get an appointment to apply for a new passport. Since last March, the process for issuing new passports has changed. Instead of directly applying at the office as before, people have had to make an appointment online before visiting the office. It has been reported that an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 people queue at the Yangon passport office daily for services. Due to high demand, passport applicants have had to pay brokers about K500,000 ($239 USD) for expedited services. There have been reports that some have been scammed by people posing as brokers. Warnings have been posted online with photos of men in front of the passport office offering expedited services.
NAYPYIDAW—A prison court is proceeding with the corruption trial of ousted leaders State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint. Suu Kyi and Win Myint have been charged with five counts of corruption under Section 55 of the Anti-Corruption Law, said a source close to the court. The hearings for the charges were held on Oct. 18. “Seven prosecution witnesses for each case have been called. Four will testify at the next trial,” the source added. The regime has accused Suu Kyi and Win Myint of misusing state funds regarding the purchase and maintenance of a helicopter. Suu Kyi has been sentenced to a total of 26 years in prison.
RAKHINE—A 13-year-old girl was killed by a shell fired by the Burma Army in Pyein Taw village of Rathedaung Township on Oct. 19. “Five heavy shells were fired this morning. She was playing nearby. She was blown away and died on the spot,” a villager told DVB. A 43-year-old man was killed during shelling by the Burma Army near Dain Net Pyin village of Buthidaung Township on Oct. 18. “He died while he was receiving medical treatment at a hospital,” a local told DVB. Since Aug. 28, nine civilians have been killed and 16 have been injured by Burma Army artillery, according to social aid groups.
The junta has suspended Sittwe to Phaktaw ferry services indefinitely on Oct. 18. “A [Burma army] major came and ordered it to be shut down. We do not know why…maybe it’s related to the [current] military situation,” a motorboat service provider explained. Other motorboat ferry services from Sittwe to other townships have also been suspended due to fighting across the state. “Now only the Sittwe-Kyaukphyu-Ramree-Taungup-Manaung line is still operating,” a local told DVB.
DVB PICKS—JN Joniad, a formerly stateless Rohingya from Rakhine State, shares his story with the CBC about how he escaped persecution in Burma and became a permanent resident in Canada. DVB Picks selects and recommends the most enlightening stories on Burma in English every week. Stay tuned!
YANGON—Eight people were killed during an attack at Insein Prison on Oct. 19. Two explosions occurred at the prison’s parcel receiving area. “Two blasts happened while I was passing through,” said a man living close to Insein Prison. The warden at the prison confirmed the attack.
Three prison officials were confirmed dead at the scene. Following the explosions, five civilians were killed and four were injured by the Burma Army. “The military fired randomly. Five women died,” a visitor to the prison said. It has been reported that eight total died during the attack at Insein Prison. Another 11 were critically injured, according to locals. Security around the prison has been tightened by junta troops. There have been explosions and firefights outside of Insein Prison in recent months which have killed and injured several people. This story is breaking and will be updated as soon as new information is reported.
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