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Myanmar regime leader Min Aung Hlaing signs nuclear power deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin

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Min Aung Hlaing with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 4. (Credit: RIA Novosti)

Regime leader Min Aung Hlaing met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Tuesday after being welcomed by Russia as Myanmar’s head of state upon arrival in Moscow on March 3

“This year, we are marking 25 years since signing the declaration on the foundations of friendship between our two countries. In fact, there has been steady progress in the relations between Russia and Myanmar,” Putin stated in his welcoming address at the Kremlin.

In 2024, trade between Russia and Myanmar increased by 40 percent, according to Putin. He thanked Min Aung Hlaing for gifting six elephant calves to Russia, which has been called “elephant diplomacy,” after Moscow delivered six fighter jets to Myanmar last year.

A deal was signed between the regime in Naypyidaw and Moscow on building a “small-scale” nuclear power plant in Myanmar, Reuters reported. Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear power corporation, stated that the power plant would have a capacity of 100 megawatts with the possibility of trebling, or generating three times, that capacity.

Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for Myanmar’s civilian-led National Unity Government (NUG), said that Min Aung Hlaing is in desperate need of legitimacy and is willing to trade the country’s resources in exchange for international recognition, the Associated Press reported.

Naypyidaw signed an agreement with Moscow on Feb. 22 to construct a port, an oil refinery and a coal-fired thermal power plant in the Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ), which is located in the Tanintharyi Region capital.

But this agreement was met with a backlash from the anti-regime Dawei Democracy Movement Strike Committee

“It is definitely harmful to the environment. There is no precise legal protection and civilian rights groups won’t have any chances to point this out due to the current political crisis,” Min Lwin Oo, the group’s spokesperson, told DVB.

This is Min Aung Hlaing’s first trip abroad since an Argentine court issued an arrest warrant on Feb. 13 against him, and 24 others, on allegations of genocide against the Rohingya.

This is his fourth visit to Russia and the second time he has met with President Putin since the 2021 military coup.

Min Aung Hlaing’s regime has provided support to Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion and ongoing war in Ukraine. 

“Number one is that Russia has worked to consolidate its sovereignty. I think this is the right thing to do. Number two is to show the world that Russia is a world power,” Zaw Min Tun, the regime spokesperson, told the Voice of America.

Russia was among the first nations to declare its support for Min Aung Hlaing’s 2021 military coup, even as his newly-formed regime faced global condemnation for using lethal force against anti-coup protesters.

Russia welcomes Min Aung Hlaing as Myanmar head of state; Bangladesh secures EU aid for Rohingya refugees

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Min Aung Hlaing arriving at the Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow, Russia, on March 3, 2025. (Credit: Regime media)

Russia welcomes Min Aung Hlaing as Myanmar head of state 

Regime leader Min Aung Hlaing was officially welcomed to Russia as Burma’s “Head of State” on Monday, marking his first trip abroad since an Argentine court issued an arrest warrant on Feb. 13 against him, and 24 others, on allegations of genocide against the Rohingya. This is Min Aung Hlaing’s fourth visit to Russia and the second time he has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin since the 2021 military coup.

“Since the two governments recently signed a deal over the Dawei Special Economic Zone, I think economic affairs will be a focus of this trip,” Thein Tun Oo, the executive director of Thayninga Institute of Strategic Studies, told DVB. Naypyidaw signed an agreement with Moscow on Feb. 22 to construct a port, an oil refinery and a coal-fired thermal power plant in the Dawei SEZ, which is located in the Tanintharyi Region capital.

Min Aung Hlaing met with Putin in the Kremlin on Tuesday, according to a statement issued by the Russian President’s Office. The two discussed Russia-Burma relations, with plans to sign an unspecified number of agreements. But no further details were provided. Regime ministers and military officials were a part of Burma’s delegation. They will return to Naypyidaw on March 10, regime media reported.

Over 7,000 residents flee Myingyan Township in Mandalay Region

More than 7,000 residents from six villages of Myingyan Township in Mandalay Region have been forced to flee their homes due to fighting between the People’s Defense Force (PDF) and regime forces since Saturday. Myingyan is located 66 miles (106 km) southwest of Mandalay. 

Around 100 military personnel and pro-military militias launched a counteroffensive in two villages of Myingyan on March 1. “There are aircraft waiting to support [regime] forces whenever they launch an offensive. We must be very careful about where we go and who we speak to,” a PDF spokesperson in Myingyan told DVB. 

The regime is attempting to retake areas seized by resistance forces in Myingyan and Madaya townships. It also wants control of Singu Township, which was seized by the PDF in June. Regime air and artillery strikes have hit Madaya and Singu, which are located 24-57 miles (39-91 km) north of Mandalay.

Bangladesh Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus met with EU Commissioner Hadja Lahbib in Dhaka on March 3. (Credit: Chief Advisor GOB)

Bangladesh secures EU aid for Rohingya refugees

The E.U. announced that it will provide 68 million Euros ($70 million USD) this year for the response to the Rohingya crisis, according to the Bangladesh interim government on Monday. This follows a meeting between Bangladesh Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus and Hadja Lahbib, the E.U. commissioner for equality, preparedness and crisis management, in Dhaka on March 3.

“The U.N. Secretary-General is coming [to Bangladesh]. We are trying to draw international attention to the Rohingya crisis,” said Yunus, referring to the visit of U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to Bangladesh March 13-16. Yunus reaffirmed Dhaka’s support in resolving the Rohingya crisis, adding that it is a “big issue” for Bangladesh. 

Nearly one million Rohingya fled their homes in northern Arakan State into Bangladesh during a 2017 military crackdown called a “textbook example” of ethnic cleansing by the U.N. and a genocide by the U.S. Over one million Rohingya now live in refugee camps located in the country’s southeastern Cox’s Bazar district.

News by Region

AYEYARWADY—Thabaung Township residents told DVB that 108 elephants, 80 mahouts, and 220 family members living at Mayancho village logging camp were evacuated to Ngapudaw Township Feb. 28-March 3, due to fighting between the Arakan Army (AA) and the military. Ngapudaw is located 50 miles (80 km) south of Thabaung. 

“They have been evacuated to Myittaya forest reserve,” a source close to the regime administration told DVB. Fighting between the AA and the military has continued at Kinpunchin mountain in Thabaung since Feb. 28. The AA expanded its offensive from Arakan into Ayeyarwady, Bago and Magway regions in December.

CHINLAND—Residents of Chinland who fled their homes due to fighting between the military and Chin resistance forces since the 2021 coup told DVB that they have been suffering from a shortage of water at refugee camps in India’s Mizoram State. The cost for 2,000 litres of water there is 1,400 Indian Rupees ($16 USD). 

“Even residents from Mizoram do not have enough water when the summer comes. It is very difficult for us too,” said a refugee from Burma staying at a camp in India on the condition of anonymity. Over 46,000 Chin people have fled into India since 2021, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).  

KAREN—An anonymous source on the frontline in Hlaingbwe Township told DVB that regime troops from the Aung Zeya column burned down 80 homes in Kawtnwet village after a battle with the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) on Feb. 24. 

“They nearly wiped out the entire village,” said the source in Kawtnwet, which is located along the Kawkareik-Myawaddy stretch of the Asia Highway in Hlaingbwe 23 miles (37 km) northeast of the Karen State capital Hpa-An.

YANGON—A group called Rangoon Scout Network announced on social media on Sunday that it had organized nine flash mob protests last month. This includes hanging anti-coup banners, posters, photo campaigns, and distributing leaflets in townships around Yangon.

“We also monitored [regime] activities since it banned gatherings of more than five people after administrative officials were set on fire [by residents] during the census collection in Dawbon Township,” the group’s spokesperson told DVB. Three activist groups staged anti-coup protests on Feb. 1.

(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,450 MMK) 

The Arakan Army shifts its offensive to the Irrawaddy Delta, but why?

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Members of the Arakan Army march along the road from Arakan State into Ayeyarwady Region in January. (Credit: AA)

Guest contributor

Htet Shein Lynn

By December 2024, the Arakan Army (AA) had secured control over 14 of Arakan (Rakhine) State’s 17 townships, except for the island of Manaung, the state capital Sittwe, and the vital port town of Kyaukphyu. 

Despite declaring a ceasefire on Dec. 29, the AA expanded military operations into Magway, Bago, and Ayeyarwady regions. 

In January, the AA captured two military camps in the Rakhine Yoma, provoking artillery fire from the regime’s battalion in Ngathaingchaung town of Ayeyarwady Region. 

Concurrently, the AA seized Magyizin village, while the National Unity Government (NUG) established the Ayeyarwady People’s Defense Force (PDF) in December. 

Analyzing the extension of conflict from Rakhine to Ayeyarwady necessitates tracking the AA’s expanded military operations, which aim to weaken military defenses and disrupt the Directorate of Defence Industries (DDI) factories, which produce weapons and equipment, in Bago and Magway regions.

Following the seizure of Gwa Township in southern Rakhine, the AA declared readiness for political dialogue while maintaining its military offensives. 

Its advances follow three primary routes: Gwa-Ngathaingchaung towards Ayeyarwady Region, Ann-Padan towards Magway Region, and Taungup towards Bago Region. 

Although Ayeyarwady lacks DDI factories, Magway hosts 15, and Bago has 7. With intensifying operations along these routes, DDI-14 on the Ann-Padan Road in Ngape Township is now highly vulnerable. At least eight AA-trained resistance groups are engaged in ongoing combat in the Rakhine Yoma. 

Having received training from the AA since mid-2021, these forces gained combat experience in Rakhine and Paletwa, in southern Chin State, and are now pushing beyond Rakhine into central Myanmar, further undermining junta control.

In early January, the AA captured two regime checkpoints, Daung Chaung and Beda, in Ayeyarwady Region, along with Magyizin and Bawmi villages. 

Media reports indicate PDF involvement in these battles. South of Magyizin, the junta reinforced Wetthay village, previously a significant site for military exercises in 2018. 

However, the AA bypassed Wetthay and attacked a police outpost near Thabaung Town. Consequently, the AA and the PDF forces are now advancing from two strategic directions—along the Gwa-Ngathaingchaung road and Thabaung, positioned between the Rakhine Yoma and the western bank of the Ngawan River.

Following the offensive on Bawmi village in December, the junta appointed Brigadier General Soe Kyaw Htet as the commander of the Southwestern Regional Command (RMC) headquarters in Pathein, the Ayeyarwady Region capital. 

Troops retreating from the Daung Chaung and Beda checkpoints regrouped at Ngathaingchaung battalion AB-344 for defensive purposes, with an airfield under construction to facilitate fighter jet deployment. After remaining inactive for over four years, 

The AB-344 recently resumed artillery support in response to engagements at Daung Chaung and Beda and is now reinforcing the Yaenantthar checkpoint. 

Additionally, Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 36 in Kyonpyaw has initiated training for 200 military conscripts, while the junta has obstructed the Gwa-Ngathaingchaung road to restrict AA movements.

To safeguard the vulnerable DDI-14, the junta has deployed additional forces along the Ann-Padan road. Major Kyaw Naing Oo, formerly commanding the Taung Kham battle in Shan State, has been promoted to lead the 905 Artillery Battalion in Ngape. 

Defensive fortifications, including barbed wire and overhead trenches, have been reinforced across all DDI factories.

Future trajectories

Although the PDF was formed in December, various other forces operating in the Arakan Yoma have functioned as guerrilla units since the 2021 military coup. 

The People’s Revolution Alliance, the Student Armed Force, and the Chin Brotherhood, which have received sustained military assistance from the AA since their inception, appear to have consolidated at the Rakhine, Magway, and Bago crossroads. 

The AA and its allied forces, advancing from three strategic routes, primarily target DDI factories along the western bank of the Irrawaddy River in Bago and Magway regions. 

These facilities manufacture ammunition, artillery, riot control weapons, and anti-aircraft systems. Disrupting their operations would further exacerbate junta security vulnerabilities. 

Additionally, if the AA successfully coordinates with Karen National Union (KNU) Brigade No. 3, it could integrate NUG-PDF forces from the eastern Bago Yoma into the broader resistance movement, strengthening opposition forces.

In Ayeyarwady Region, the AA and its allies are expected to bypass the Shwethaungyan area, where the junta has conducted extensive training exercises. 

Instead, operations will likely focus on the Gwa-Ngathaingchaung road while maintaining pressure on the Thabaung front. 

This strategy aims to block reinforcements from the Southwestern Regional Military Command (RMC) while targeting DDI factories. 

If junta resistance weakens, the PDF may exploit this opportunity to advance and potentially seize Ngathaingchaung and Thabaung.

Since the 2021 coup, the Southwestern RMC has not engaged in direct combat in Ayeyarwady Region, but it has consistently redeployed forces to Rakhine, northern Shan, Karenni, and Karen states for four years. 

Given the setbacks the junta has suffered in these areas, resistance in Ayeyarwady now serves as an indicator of the military’s remaining strength. 

Consequently, the junta may intensify recruitment and civilian arrests in the region to reinforce its defensive capacity. Nevertheless, uncertainties persist regarding the AA’s ability to sustain its three-route offensive across three regions. 

Rohingya armed groups operating in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships of northern Rakhine, and along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border may retaliate, while besieged junta forces in Sittwe could launch counteroffensives when the DDI factories come under attack. 

These potential challenges could significantly limit the AA’s operational capacity in the coming months. 


Htet Shein Lynn is a Program Associate in the Conflict, Peace, and Security Program at the Institute for Strategy and Policy (ISP-Myanmar)

DVB publishes a diversity of opinions that does not reflect DVB editorial policy. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our stories: [email protected]

Airstrikes kill at least 11 in Magway Region; Bangladesh forms new battalion for Myanmar border security

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Myaing Township residents inspect the destruction caused by regime airstrikes in Magway Region on March 3. (Credit: Myae Latt Athan)

Airstrikes kill at least 11 in Magway Region

At least 11 civilians were killed and an unknown number were injured by airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force on 10 villages in Myaing and Pauk townships of Magway Region on Monday. Myaing and Pauk are located 130-136 miles (209-218 km) north of the region’s capital Magway. 

“Five jet fighters carried out airstrikes over the villages in the east of Myaing Township. There was no fighting in these villages. The military did this for no reason,” a Myaing resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Myaing has been partially under the control of resistance forces since September. 

Pauk Township residents told DVB that at least six were killed and another six were injured by the airstrikes. Fighting between regime and resistance forces occurred in Pauk on Jan. 23, but residents claimed that no fighting has happened since. An unknown number of people living in the 10 villages of Pauk and Myaing fled their homes on Feb. 3 in fear of airstrikes. 

Ta’ang National Liberation Army prepares for renewed talks

The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) told DVB that China is arranging a second round of peace talks with the regime after the first round failed to reach a ceasefire agreement on Feb. 16. Nine TNLA representatives, including vice chair Tar Jok Jar, attended the first round of talks along with regime representatives in Kunming, China last month.  

“We are facing pressure from China to meet with the regime again. We negotiated with them the first time but there was no positive outcome,” Lway Yay Oo, the TNLA spokesperson, told DVB. The date of the second round of peace talks between the TNLA and the regime has not been announced. 

But China didn’t announce the first round of talks, nor did it publicize talks between the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the regime, which agreed to a ceasefire during its second round on Jan. 18. Fighting between the TNLA and regime forces continues in Tawnghkam, Ongmati and Ongmahkar villages of Nawnghkio Township, northern Shan State, which is under TNLA control. 

Bangladesh Home Affairs Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury inaugurated the Border Guard Bangladesh Battalion in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, on March 1. (Credit: New Age)

Bangladesh forms new battalion for Myanmar border security

The Border Guard Bangladesh launched its Ukhiya Battalion in Cox’s Bazar District in the country’s southeast on Saturday. This comes after the Arakan Army (AA) seized full control of the 168 mile (271 km) long Burma-Bangladesh border. Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar is located across the Naf River from Maungdaw Township, which came under AA control on Dec. 8.

“The sensitivity of the Bangladesh-Myanmar border has increased to a great extent in the past few years due to the ongoing conflict in Myanmar. As far as the current border situation is concerned, the decision of establishing a new battalion on the Bangladesh-Myanmar frontier was the need of the time,” Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, the Bangladesh Home Affairs advisor, told the media. 

He added that there have been abductions near Cox’s Bazar and blamed this on Rohingya living in refugee camps. Chowdhury stressed the importance of refugee repatriation to Burma. Nearly one million Rohingya were forced from their homes in northern Arakan into refugee camps in Bangladesh due to a 2017 military crackdown labeled a “textbook example” of ethnic cleansing by the U.N. and genocide by the U.S. 

News by Region

AYEYARWADY—Shwethaungyan town residents told DVB that more than 100 homes were destroyed by airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force on Magyizin and Gyailal villages of Pathein Township last month. Shwethaungyan is located 43 miles (69 km) northwest of the Ayeyarwady Region capital Pathein. 

“We lost [our home] not because of shooting but because of airstrikes,” a resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The regime launched retaliatory airstrikes against the AA Feb. 11-13. Fighting between the regime and the AA continued after it expanded its offensive from Arakan into Magway, Bago and Ayeyarwady regions in December. 

ARAKAN—The AA spokesperson Khaing Thukha told DVB that fighting in the state capital Sittwe and Kyaukphyu townships continues. The AA launched its attack on two of the remaining three townships under regime control in January. 

“The military conducts air, drone, and artillery strikes in response to our attacks,” said Khaing Thukha. Kyaukphyu residents claimed that the AA has fired artillery at the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 34 and the Danyawaddy Naval Base since Feb. 6. Tens of thousands of residents have fled their homes due to the fighting. 

KAREN—The Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) released a statement on Saturday saying that power cuts from Thailand into Myawaddy Township have inflicted “suffering” upon ethnic nationality communities living along the Thai-Burma border, who rely on the neighbouring country for their daily “socio-economic needs.” 

“The inhumane and unjust measures of cutting off electricity, fuel supplies, and essential goods have disproportionately impacted innocent civilians, creating unnecessary hardship and exacerbating their vulnerability,” stated the BGF in its press release on March 1. 

Over 7,000 foreign nationals from 29 countries have been released from cyber scam centers but have been kept at BGF-run facilities in Myawaddy since Feb. 14. Myawaddy is located 140 miles (225 km) east of the Karen State capital Hpa-An and is across the border from Mae Sot, Tak Province of Thailand. Read more.

(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,450 MMK) 

Karen National Union captures regime outpost near Thailand border

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Thai authorities assist residents from Hlaingbwe Township, Karen State, who fled their homes into Nong Bua village of Tak Province, Thailand, on Feb. 28. (Credit: DVB)

An anonymous source on the frontline, where fighting between the Karen National Union (KNU) and regime forces continues in Hlaingbwe Township, told DVB that KNU Brigade 7 seized a regime outpost near Lel Paw He village on Sunday.  

“The Myanmar Air Force has conducted [retaliatory] airstrikes two to three times a day [since Thursday], but the bombs have landed in the forest. The outpost was evacuated [on Monday],” said the source in Hlaingbwe, which is located 23 miles (37 km) northeast of the Karen State capital Hpa-An. 

Over 500 Hlaingbwe residents fled their homes across the border into neighbouring Thailand due to fighting between the KNU armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), and the regime’s Aung Zeya column on Thursday. 

Fighting between the KNU/KNLA and regime forces has been taking place across the border from Nong Bua village of Tak Province in Thailand. 

The Thai authorities have been assisting 545 people from Myanmar who’ve fled their homes to seek safety in Thailand. The Bangkok Post newspaper reported that they are receiving humanitarian assistance.

A Thai army task force operating along the border told the media in Bangkok that the fighting in Myanmar has endangered lives and property in both countries.

It is concerned that incursions into Thailand may occur and has conducted a helicopter survey on March 1 in Nong Bua village, located along the Thai-Myanmar border. 

In 2022, during fighting between the KNU/KNLA and regime forces over the Ukrit Hta military outpost in Karen State, a Myanmar Air Force fighter jet entered Thai airspace. This incident frightened local residents and led to school closures but didn’t lead to any response from Bangkok.

Fighting between KNLA-led resistance forces and the regime’s Aung Zeya column has been taking place along the Kawkareik-Myawaddy stretch of the Asia Highway in Karen State since April.

This regime counteroffensive began after the KNLA seized a military outpost in Myawaddy Township for 12 days. Myawaddy is located 80 miles (128 km) east of Hpa-An.

Over 7,000 rescued cyber scam victims stranded in Karen State

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The Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) stated that it has led a crackdown on cyber scams operating in areas under its control, including Shwe Kokko located 15 miles (24 km) north of Myawaddy, since Feb. 14. (Credit: DVB)

The Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) released a statement on Saturday saying that the power cuts from Thailand into the Myanmar border town of Myawaddy, Karen State, has inflicted “suffering” upon ethnic nationality communities living along the Thai-Myanmar border, who rely on the neighbouring country for their daily “socio-economic needs.” 

“The inhumane and unjust measures of cutting off electricity, fuel supplies, and essential goods have disproportionately impacted innocent civilians, creating unnecessary hardship and exacerbating their vulnerability,” stated the BGF in its press release on March 1.  

Myawaddy is located 140 miles (225 km) east of the Karen State capital Hpa-An and is across the border from Mae Sot, Tak Province of Thailand. This BGF statement comes after over 7,000 foreign nationals from 29 countries have been released from cyber scam centers but have been kept at BGF-run facilities in Myawaddy since Feb. 14. 

“The ongoing power outages, fuel shortages, and communication disruptions imposed by the neighboring country on Myawaddy, a Myanmar border town, have significantly hindered efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to these foreign nationals,” added the BGF in its statement.

“We provide three meals a day for each person as well as amenities. We even offer [hygiene kits] to women,” Naing Maung Zaw, the BGF spokesperson, told DVB.

Thailand cut access to electricity and fuel supplies to Myawaddy and Payathonzu townships in Karen State, as well as Tachilek Township in Shan State on Feb. 5. Payathonzu is located 133 miles (214 km) south of Myawaddy. Tachilek is located 355 miles (571 km) northeast of Myawaddy.

Among the foreign nationals reportedly rescued from cyber scam centers in Myawaddy were 4,860 Chinese, 572 Vietnamese, and 526 Indians, along with over 500 people from various countries in Africa. The BGF called on their respective embassies to repatriate these foreigners as soon as possible.

“As the rescued spend more time in our shelters, they increasingly ask when they will be returned [to their] home [countries],” said Naing Maung Zaw. 

China has called on the Thai government to continue its utility ban on Myanmar cyber scam centers since it claimed that this has “delivered tangible results and [has] gained international recognition.” 

Myanmar’s civilian-led parallel administration, the National Unity Government (NUG), and its Minister of Foreign Affairs Zin Mar Aung accused the military regime in Naypyidaw and its proxies of facilitating cyber scams along the Thai-Myanmar border targeting foreign countries on Feb. 15.

The regime, the pro-military BGF, and the ethnic armed group Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), have repeatedly denied any involvement in human trafficking into cyber scam centers in areas under BGF or DKBA control in Myawaddy.

The DKBA handed over 261 foreign nationals from 19 countries – believed to have been trafficked into cyber scam centers – to the Thai army on Feb. 12.

Regime media reported that 3,474 foreign nationals who had entered Myanmar illegally were detained, with 757 repatriated to their respective countries through Thailand. The remaining 2,717 foreigners have been held in detention by the regime since Jan. 30.

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