Regime officials view a display of illegal narcotic drugs to be burned during a ceremony in Taunggyi, Shan State, on International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26. (Credit: CCDAC)
The regime Ministry of Home Affairs held ceremonies nationwide to destroy nearly 1,072 billion MMK ($300 million USD) worth of illegal narcotic drugs to mark the annual International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Thursday.
“Drugs, including over 1,334 kilograms of opium, 1744 kilograms of heroin, 281 million yaba [methamphetamine] tablets, over 597 kilograms of marijuana, over 8,573 kilograms of ketamine, and other substances that were seized over the last year were burned,” the Ministry of Information announced on June 27.
The regime claimed that more than 972 billion MMK ($218 million USD) worth of drugs and chemical substances were confiscated over the last 12 months from June 1, 2024 to May 31, 2025 across the country.
In Taunggyi, the Shan State capital, over 353 billion MMK ($98 million USD) worth of heroin, opium, ketamine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and amphetamine – confiscated from both Shan and Karen states – were destroyed on June 26.
In Yangon, a total of 424 billion MMK ($118 million USD) worth of 25 drugs and 11 chemical substances – seized from Yangon, Ayeyarwady, Bago, and Tanintharyi regions, as well as Mon, Karen and Arakan states – were also destroyed.
In Mandalay, over 295 billion MMK ($87 million USD) worth of 26 narcotic drugs and 17 chemical substances – seized from upper and central Myanmar – were destroyed as well.
Regime officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC), ministers, military officials, as well as representatives from Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) Thailand, attended the drug burning ceremonies.
The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) stated that Myanmar remains the world’s leading source of opium and heroin, with drug production escalating rapidly since the 2021 military coup.
“The amount of opium produced in Myanmar remains close to the highest levels we have seen since we first measured it more than 20 years ago,” Masood Karimipour, the regional representative for UNODC, stated in a press release in December.
“As conflict dynamics in the country remain intense and the global supply chains adjust the ban in Afghanistan, we see significant risk of a further expansion [in Myanmar] over the coming years,” he added.
On March 28, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake killed at least 4,520 people and injured over 11,000, according to DVB data. Three months later, and over 6 million people remain in urgent need of assistance, as the existing crises of conflict and displacement worsens.
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Devastation after the earthquake in southern Shan State. (Credit: CJ)
On March 28, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake killed at least 4,520 people and injured over 11,000, according to DVB data. Three months later, and over 6 million people remain in urgent need of assistance, as the existing crises of conflict and displacement worsens.
Min Aung Hlaing on a tour of BelOMO with Belarus’ Minister of Industry Aleksandr Yefimov and company officials in Minsk, Belarus, on June 26. (Credit: BelTA)
Myanmar regime leader Min Aung Hlaing attended the 4th Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) forum in Minsk, Belarus, on Friday. He said that his regime in Naypyidaw would enhance cooperation with EAEU members, which include Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan.
“In today’s world, political and economic pressures and sanctions imposed by major powers on smaller nations are violating the fundamental principles of world nations,” said Min Aung Hlaing.
The regime leader met with Europe-Asia Economic Commission (EEC) Board Chairperson Bakytzhan Sagintayev at the Minsk International Exhibition Center and visited Belmedpreparaty, a pharmaceutical company in Minsk.
Belarusian state media, the BelTA news agency, reported that Min Aung Hlaing also visited the Belarusian Optical and Mechanical Association (BelOMO) with Belarusian Industry Minister Aleksandr Yefimov and company officials on June 26.
BelOMO, established in 1971 and headquartered in Minsk, is a state-owned enterprise that produces optical, optoelectronic, and mechanical devices for both civilian and military use.
This includes technologies such as cameras, lasers, sensors, fiber optic cables, and telescopes which can be mounted on sniper rifles, artillery and armored vehicles.
BelTA reported that Min Aung Hlaing and Minister Yefimov discussed expanding cooperation between Myanmar and Belarus in the field of optical engineering technology, which could help modernize Myanmar’s economy and promote exports.
The U.S., the E.U., the U.K., and Canada imposed sanctions on BelOMO, its subsidiaries and key executives between 2022 and 2024, citing the company’s role in supplying military-related materials to Russia during its war against Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, 2022.
Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, Burma’s Permanent Representative to the UN, addressed a general assembly plenary meeting in New York on June 25. (Credit: Permanent Mission of Myanmar to the United Nations)
Myanmar and the ‘Responsibility to Protect’ principle
Burma’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. Kyaw Moe Tun addressed a general assembly plenary meeting on the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) and the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity, at the U.N. headquarters in New York City on Wednesday. He claimed that the number killed by the military since the 2021 coup has surpassed 6,800.
“I have reminded time and again the international community to uphold this noble commitment on R2P and transform it into meaningful action. Now, another year marking the unlawful military coup, there has been a disheartening absence of any meaningful progress. People and the country have been enduring the egregious atrocities perpetrated by the ruthless military,” he told delegates.
The R2P principle, adopted by the U.N. in 2005, states that the international community has a “responsibility to intervene when a state fails to protect its population from mass atrocities.” The National Unity Government (NUG) has documented 608 civilians killed and 1,308 injured in 982 regime attacks since the earthquake on March 28 up to June 16, the same number of casualties collected by DVB data.
Seven killed by airstrikes on mines in Karenni State
At least seven civilians were killed and over 20 others were injured by airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force on mining sites in Mawchi town of Hpasawng Township on Wednesday. Hpasawng is located 73 miles (117 km) south of the Karenni State capital Loikaw. Both are under regime control along with Bawlakhe Township.
The Tun Myanmar Donation group, which assists people living at Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, accused the regime of targeting civilians. Mawchi is located 19 miles (30 km) west of Hpasawng town, where resistance forces reportedly launched an offensive on the two remaining regime Light Infantry Battalions (LIB) 134 and 135 on June 25.
Sources told DVB that at least 16 civilians have been killed and over 50 have been injured in six airstrikes on Mawchi since March. During his opening speech at the regime “peace talks” with ethnic armed groups in Naypyidaw on Wednesday, Min Aung Hlaing urged resistance groups to stop fighting and join negotiations. Read more
Twenty regime troops killed in Bago Region
The NUG announced on Wednesday that the People’s Defence Force (PDF) killed at least 20 regime troops during a simultaneous offensive on nine regime outposts along the 17-mile (27 km) stretch of the old Yangon-Mandalay highway between Nyaunglebin and Kyauktaga towns in Bago Region on Wednesday.
The NUG added that one PDF member has been killed so far during the offensive. The two towns are located 50-77 miles (80-124 km) north of the region’s capital Bago. A PDF spokesperson told DVB that 13 regime troops killed in the clash had been stationed at an outpost in Tawwi village, located between the two towns.
The PDF said the outpost originally had 50 regime troops stationed inside, but some had abandoned it. Three prisoners were captured, along with 16 weapons of varying calibers and ammunition. The NUG stated that the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) joined the offensive, but did not provide further details.
News by Region
Residents of Mogok Township, Mandalay Region, inspect the damage to homes caused by an airstrike on June 25. (Credit: TNLA)
MANDALAY—Residents of Mogok told DVB that three civilians, including a child, were injured by an airstrike on Wednesday. Mogok is located 124 miles (200 km) northeast of Mandalay. It was seized by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in July.
“The airstrike struck a house near the monastery in Ohnkaing Ward. We only heard the aircraft after the bomb exploded,” a Mogok resident told DVB. The TNLA reported that at least six buildings, including a monastery, were either damaged or destroyed.
SHAN—The TNLA released a statement on Wednesday claiming that regime forces have dropped a total of 237 bombs, including 60 from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or drones, and have fired 175 artillery shells in Nawnghkio Township on June 23-24.
The statement added that regime forces have taken advantage of the temporary ceasefire to attack TNLA forces. No casualties were reported in the attacks. Nawnghkio is located 96 miles (154 km) south of the region’s capital Lashio. It came under TNLA control on July 10.
A resident of Nansang Township in southern Shan told Shwe Phee Myay News Agency that a father and his two-year-old child died in a landslide caused by persistent heavy rains on Thursday. Nansang is located 72 miles (115 km) east of the state capital Taunggyi.
“The houses are built right on the slopes [of a hill]. Since it’s just a bamboo house, it was more vulnerable,” a Nansang resident told Shwe Phee Myay. Heavy rainfall since the last week of May has caused landslides in some areas of Nansang.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,590 MMK)
Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun speaks about how the Responsibility to Protect could stop atrocities from being committed by the military in Burma on June 25. (Credit: Permanent Mission of Myanmar to the United Nations)
The Myanmar Centre at Chiang Mai University (CMU), in collaboration with the Myanmar community in Chiang Mai, Thailand held an earthquake fundraising event at Tha Phae Gate on June 22. (Credit: DVB)
An event to raise funds for earthquake relief in Myanmar was held at Tha Phae Gate in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on June 22. The Myanmar Centre at Chiang Mai University (CMU), in collaboration with the Myanmar community in Chiang Mai, organized the event. Read more and check out our photos.
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