The Umpiem refugee camp on the Thailand-Myanmar border. (Photo: Rohan Radheya)
Healthcare services run by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in refugee camps along the Thailand-Myanmar border were suspended on Monday following an executive order from the U.S. President Donald Trump.
The IRC is the main healthcare provider in the refugee camps housing around 100,000 from Myanmar in Thailand along its 1,501 mile (2,416 km)-long border.
The IRC gets about half of its funding from the U.S. government and part of its work is to help resettle refugees to the U.S.
President Trump has ordered a 90-day pause in all U.S. government funding to the IRC, which is why it has suspended its healthcare services for refugee living in the camps in Thailand.
As a result of the IRC suspension, hospitals in the refugee camps have had to discharge all their patients except for emergency cases and stop seeing outpatients, according to healthcare officials working in the nine refugee camps.
“We don’t know exactly what’s going on. Following instructions from higher up, we discharged patients from the hospital. I only learned this morning that all IRC operations would be halted. I’m not sure how long this will last. We were told we’d be contacted if anything changes. We also heard we won’t be paid this month. We don’t know if we’ll ever be able to resume work or when we’ll receive our salaries,” a healthcare worker in Nupo refugee camp, located in Thailand’s Tak Province, told the Karen Information Center (KIC).
As well as being suspended in Nupo Refugee Camp, IRC provided healthcare was also suspended in the Umpiem and Mae La refugee camps on Jan. 27. Ambulance drivers in all three camps have also been suspended from their jobs, according to information received by KIC.
“At the moment, relevant officials are holding a series of meetings. While the number of patients has been assessed, all have since been discharged. And medical equipment is now being packed away,” a healthcare worker from Mae La refugee camp told KIC.
“The IRC has informed us that they have stopped operations because they are no longer receiving aid. If there are no hospitals in the camps, there will be tremendous hardships. We don’t know how long this situation will last. We will have to sit in a meeting to decide what to do next,” said Saw Pwel Say, the secretary of the Karen Refugee Committee (KRC).
Currently, waste collection in the camps has also been suspended, according to KRC. Besides providing healthcare in the camps, the IRC had also been collecting waste, supplying drinking water, and providing care for mothers and children in the camps.
Members of the Arakan Army march along the road from Arakan State into Ayeyarwady Region in January. (Credit: AA)
Arakan Army claims it seized military outpost in Bago Region
The Arakan Army (AA) stated on Monday that it had seized control of the Moehti hilltop outpost in Bago Region on Jan. 26 – five days after it launched its attack. The military outpost is located in the Arakan Mountains, known as the Rakhine Yoma.
“We recovered some bodies of Burma Army personnel together with military equipment, weapons and ammunition after the seizure of the hilltop outpost,” the AA shared on social media. It added that it had also taken control of the military’s Point 263 and 369 in Yekyi Township of Ayeyarwady Region Jan. 21-26.
Customs reverts to Central Bank rate with no explanation
The regime’s Customs Department announced that import and export duties will revert to using the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) rate which values $1 USD at 2,100 MMK starting on Jan. 25 – three weeks after switching to a weekly exchange rate that is calculated on market rates and values $1 USD at around 3,500 MMK.
The regime provided no explanation for adopting market rates over the CBM reference rate, nor for reverting to the CBM rate this week. From Jan. 1-24, the exchange rates applied for calculations were approximately 70 percent higher than the CBM reference rate for foreign currencies.
For the period from Jan. 26 to Feb. 1, the exchange rates used for duty calculations will be: $1 USD at 2,100 MMK, 1 Euro at 2,155 MMK, 1 Thai Baht at 60.5 MMK, 1 Indian Rupee at 24.2 MMK, and 1 Chinese Yuan at 286.4 MMK. In the market, the value of $1 USD has risen to 4,500 MMK.
Justice for Myanmar exposes Singapore-listed company
Justice for Myanmar released a report today exposing the Singapore-listed company Interra Resources’ operations in Burma for supplying Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) with more than 2.3 million barrels of oil from January 2021 to the end of 2023 worth more than $150 million USD. The company owns 60 percent of Goldpetrol.
“The company’s business with MOGE directly supports the junta’s widening campaign of terror, which has killed children, destroyed schools and hospitals, and displaced over 3 million people. Interra Resources’ business has been enabled by a lack of international action to cut the junta’s access to funds, arms and fuel,” said Yadanar Maung, the Justice for Myanmar spokesperson.
It called on Singapore to impose targeted sanctions on the regime and end the companies’ operations in Burma. Goldpetrol provides one of the few remaining sources of oil for the military, refining it into jet fuel and diesel. The military’s airstrikes killed 2,257 people and injured 3,417 between Feb. 1, 2021, and Nov. 30, 2024, according to the Blood Money Campaign, which has called for a ban on aviation fuel to Burma.
News by Region
The Border Guard Bangladesh in Teknaf displays goods seized from smugglers destined for Burma on Jan. 25. (Credit: Teknaf 71 News)
ARAKAN—A media outlet in Teknaf, Bangladesh reported that a boat transporting food and construction items into Maungdaw Township, along the Naf River, was seized by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) after its crew abandoned it on Saturday. The boat is now at the Teknaf Customs Office.
“The military has blocked trade in Rakhine for more than a year, leaving no legal trade routes open. In border towns like Maungdaw and Buthidaung, residents rely on goods smuggled from Bangladesh,” a trader in Maungdaw told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The AA took control of Maungdaw on Dec. 8.
MAGWAY—The People’s Defense Force (PDF) told DVB that five civilians were killed and three others were seriously injured by artillery carried out by the military from No. 22 Defense Equipment Factory, known in Burmese as KaPaSa, on Kinpuntaung village of Seikphyu Township, on Sunday. Seikphyu is located 73 miles (117 km) south of the regional capital Magway.
“Five civilians, including children, were killed instantly after the shell landed on a home. There was no current fighting and no PDF camps [nearby],” a PDF spokesperson told DVB. Kinpuntaung village is located 10 miles (16 km) from KaPaSa 22. Villagers are concerned about attacks as the military has increased its presence in Magway due to the fighting against the AA.
SAGAING—Regime media reported on Monday that four officials in Shwebo Township, including the police chief and the township administrator, were arrested for accepting bribes from the family of a military conscript. It added that the family paid 13 million MMK ($2,888 USD) to the officials on Jan. 25.
Malaysian authorities arrested dozens of undocumented workers, including Myanmar nationals, during a raid on Dec. 24. (Credit: Malaysia Immigration)
Chin refugees in Malaysia who were due to be resettled to the U.S. after their refugee applications had been approved had their flights and visas cancelled by President Donald Trump.
After his inauguration on Jan. 20, President Trump signed an executive order suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) starting on Jan. 27. This means that Chin refugees who had been granted asylum in the U.S. and were due to depart Malaysia for the U.S., cannot travel there.
“Many who had high hopes were dealt a crushing blow. I can sympathize with how deeply hurt they must feel. A friend of mine was in the shower, preparing to visit a United Nations agency office for the final steps of his journey to the United States, when the news of the cancellation reached him. Some, believing their trip was secure, had already returned their rented homes to landlords and quit their jobs. In such a situation, this devastating turn of events leaves everyone heartbroken,” said James Bawi Thang Bik, the chairperson of the Alliance of Chin Refugees (ACR), a coalition of 17 ethnic groups working to improve the lives of Chin refugees in Malaysia
Many Chin refugees who had their flights to the U.S. cancelled contacted ACR when they received notification, while others contacted the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Malaysia. The number of Chin refugees who have had their flights cancelled is unknown.
Previously, Chin refugees in Malaysia applied for asylum in the U.S. through two main channels: the UNHCR refugee resettlement programme and the Welcome Corps programme. This enabled Chin refugees to join family members already in the U.S. However, under President Trump’s executive order, all applications for entry through both programs were revoked.
Now, the Welcome Corps has stopped accepting new asylum applications and the Resettlement Support Centre (RSC), an organization that assists migrants, has cancelled interview appointments for Chin people applying for asylum in the U.S.
“The RSC has cancelled interview appointments. So many people have been affected by the United States’ policy shift. Everyone is in shock and deeply depressed. The chances of any change we can hope for seem very slim. It’s clear that there is an overwhelming silence amongst the Chin community in Malaysia these days,” added James Bawi Thang Bik.
The U.S. accepts the largest number of Chin refugees. Other countries like France and Australia also offer Chin people asylum, though in relatively smaller numbers, according to ACR.
Currently there are about 80,000 Chin refugees in Malaysia. Of those, 20,000 hold a U.N. refugee card which is issued by the UNHCR and identifies the card holder as a refugee in need of protection from the host country.
Malaysian immigration has led raids and arrests of refugees and asylum seekers across the country. Those in possession of a U.N. refugee card are sometimes released, others have not been so lucky and have faced repatriated to their country of origin, according to several human rights organizations in Malaysia.
“Let’s consider what will happen next, the number of Chin refugees stranded in Malaysia will continue to rise. Many of them are not eligible to return home, nor can they leave for the United States as asylum seekers. They will be stuck, forced to have lives of struggle under the constant threat of being hunted down by authorities,” said James Bawi Thang Bik.
Some Chin refugees whose asylum applications were revoked first applied as far back as 2013, though others had applied more recently in 2019, 2020 and 2021. This includes orphaned children, people with underlying health conditions, and elderly people.
President Trump’s executive order suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) on Jan. 27 has impacted refugees from around the world, not only Chin from Myanmar. Malaysia also hosts around 200,000 Rohingya refugees and several thousand Kachin and Rakhine.
Under the new regulations it states that refugees may be admitted to the U.S. on a “case-by-case basis,” once the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security jointly determine that the entry of such aliens as refugees “does not pose a threat to the security or welfare of the United States.”
Within 90 days of Jan. 20, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security will submit a report regarding whether or not it would be in the interest of the U.S. to resume allowing refugees to enter the country. These reports will continue every 90 days until the USRAP program is resumed, according to the National Law Review website.
The Karen National Union launched a report called the “Loss of lives and livelihoods after the 2021 coup” at its headquarters in Hpa-an District on March 27, 2023. (Credit: KNU)
Karen National Union refuses to allow regime election in its territory
The Karen National Union (KNU) held an online seminar on Sunday called “preventing the military regime’s fake election.” During the seminar, the KNU spokesperson Padoh Saw Kale Say said that the ethnic armed group will prevent the regime from setting up polling stations in areas under its control.
“If the regime’s election comes to our land, in all seven battalion districts, we will do our best to stand against it. We are willing to tell people how we oppose it and will fight against it,” added Saw Kale Say, who noted that the KNU does not recognize the military’s 2008 constitution. The regime elections are tentatively scheduled for November.
The National Unity Government (NUG) claimed that its People’s Defense Force (PDF) and ethnic armed groups have seized 144 out of 330 townships nationwide with 79 townships contested. The regime, which seized power after the 2021 military coup, has 107 townships under its control. Pro-democracy groups are calling on the international community not to accept any regime-planned election.
Chinese New Year to be held in Lashio
The Lashio Reconstruction Team announced on Friday that the Chinese New Year will be celebrated starting from today until the end of February in Lashio Township of northern Shan State. Reports of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) retreating from Lashio in June have been denied by a BBC source “close to military affairs.”
“We have not received any order to retreat and continue to remain in Lashio. The town is operating normally,” an MNDAA source told DVB last week. Lashio is located 107 miles (172 km) south of the Burma-China border town of Muse, in northern Shan State, and 243 miles (391 km) north of the Shan State capital Taunggyi in southern Shan.
The regime and the MNDAA signed a formal ceasefire agreement during the second round of China-brokered talks in Kunming on Jan. 18. The United Wa State Army (UWSA) granted permission for the free passage of goods through “Wa State”, known officially as the Wa Self-Administered Zone, to the Kokang Self-Administered Zone of northern Shan State on Jan. 20.
ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights oppose cybersecurity law
The ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) announced on Friday that it opposes the regime’s new cybersecurity law, warning that it poses a profound threat to fundamental freedoms and directly contradicts its 2008 constitution. It added that this legislation is an attempt to suppress dissent, stifle free expression, and violate the privacy of Burma’s citizens.
“As parliamentarians committed to defending human rights, we stand unequivocally with the people of Myanmar and the activists, journalists, and civil society groups who are directly threatened by this oppressive measure,” said Mercy Chriesty Barends, the APHR co-chairperson and member of Indonesia’s House of Representatives.
The law criminalizes the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), an online circumvention tool used by netizens to access blocked websites and social media platforms. The regime has made efforts to monitor, censor, and control online activities, creating a climate of fear and constant surveillance since the 2021 coup.
News by Region
Padoh Naw Shee Wah is the recipient of the 2024 Padoh Manh Sha Young Leader Award. (Credit: Phan Foundation)
KAREN—The Phan Foundation announced on Monday that Padoh Naw Shee Wah, the secretary of the emergency support committee for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Hpa-An District, is the winner of the 2024 Padoh Mahn Sha Young Leader Award. She will receive $4,000 USD to support her work in the Karen community.
“Since I started to get involved with community work, I never dreamt of receiving an award like this, and it is very unexpected for me. It is a great encouragement for me, and also for other young community leaders to keep going and to keep helping our society,” said Padoh Naw Shee Wah. The Phan Foundation gives the Padoh Mahn Sha Young leader award annually.
KARENNI—The Karenni Political Prisoners Association (KPPA) told Myitkyina News Journal that 20 political prisoners at Loikaw Prison are suffering from malnutrition. They accuse the prison authorities of cutting food rations and forbidding prisoners from family visitations since Karenni resistance forces launched an offensive on Loikaw on Nov. 11, 2023.
“The military troops position themselves in the prison so the prisoners cannot walk or do any exercises. This combined with malnutrition may lead to weakness in limbs,” Aung Myo Kyaw from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) told DVB. Loikaw Prison has over 400 inmates, including around 120 political prisoners, according to the Myitkyina News Journal.
MANDALAY—The People’s Defense Force (PDF) told DVB that at least 20 people, including PDF members and doctors from the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), were killed and more than 20 others were injured by airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force on Singood village of Myingyan Township on Sunday. Myingyan is located 66 miles (106 km) southwest of Mandalay.
“Two aircrafts opened fire and dropped bombs over the school in the village. There is a clinic operated by the resistance forces inside the school,” a PDF member told DVB, who added that it was destroyed along with more than three homes. The number of casualties is still being determined by the PDF. Telecommunication networks in the village have been cut off by the regime.
A photo of Nay Soe Maung at an anti-coup protest in Yangon in 2021. The physician and son-in-law of former Myanmar military regime leader Than Shwe was arrested on Oct. 23 (Credit: Nay Soe Maung Facebook)
Mandalay’s Obo Prison court sentenced Nay Soe Maung, a physician and the son-in-law of former dictator Than Shwe, to three years in prison under Section 505 (A) of the Penal Code for “spreading false news and causing fear amongst the people” on Jan. 16.
“The court reduced charges related to the Counter-Terrorism Law. His case was accepted by the Pyigyitagon Township court and sentenced by the Obo Prison court,” a source close to the court told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
He had posted condolences over the death of Zaw Myint Maung, the ousted Mandalay Chief Minister and vice-chair of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, who died at Mandalay General hospital on Oct. 7 – one day after the regime granted him an amnesty on “medical grounds.”
Pyigyitagon Township court filed four initial charges against Nay Soe Maung, under Section 52 (A) of the Counter-Terrorism Law, Section 124 (A) of the Penal Code, which is widely known as the Sedition law, as well as Section 33 (A) of the Electronic Transactions Law and Section 505 (A) of the Penal Code.
Nay Soe Maung, 68, is a retired colonel and the former superintendent of the Mingaladon Military Hospital in Yangon. His father is Tin Sein, a serving major general in the military. He is married to former army general Than Shwe’s daughter Kyi Kyi Swe.
The military regime arrested Ye Htut, a military officer and former minister, on Oct. 28, 2023, for criticizing the military. He was sentenced to a total of ten years in prison under the Section 505 (A) and Section 124 (D) of the Penal Code.
Anti-coup protesters in Yangon raise awareness about the arrest of journalists reporting on the protests following the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021. (Credit: DVB)
The Independent Press Council Myanmar (IPCM) has documented that a total of seven journalists have been killed and over 200 have been arrested by the regime, which seized power after the 2021 military coup, while 43 journalists are still being held in detention with 11 of them serving long-term prison sentences, including life imprisonment.
“There is still a lot of missing information about detained journalists. We will continue our database work, not just to assist but to ensure that those arrested and tortured like criminals will one day face justice,” Nan Paw Gay, the IPCM chairperson, told DVB after the press council released a statement on Saturday
The IPCM added that the regime has unjustly arrested journalists and charged them under the Penal Code, the Unlawful Associations Act, the Telecommunications Law, the Immigration Act, the Export-Import Law, the Explosive Substances Act, the Natural Disaster Management Law, and the Counter-Terrorism Law.
The regime has also revoked the media licences of 15 news agencies, including the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), Mizzima, The Irrawaddy, Khit Thit Media, Myanmar Now and 7Day News.
In November 2021, amendments to the Television and Radio Broadcasting Law allowed the regime to appoint its officials to the Broadcasting Council.
It amended the original law, drafted in 2015, to introduce a maximum punishment of five years in prison, in addition to fines, for broadcasting without a licence. This includes broadcasting online.
This month, the regime announced its long-awaited cybersecurity law, which targets circumvention tools such as Virtual Private Networks (VPN). These allow netizens to bypass blocked websites and social media platforms by hiding users’ online activity from internet service providers.
Myanmar netizens have turned to VPNs to access banned news websites and their social media accounts. The regime blocked access to Facebook and several news websites following the 2021 coup.
The IPCM was established in Chiang Mai, Thailand in December 2023 to promote media freedom in Myanmar, enhance security and protection for journalists.
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