Chris Gunness, the founder and director of the Myanmar Accountability Project (MAP), joined DVB English News in the newsroom to discuss international justice for the Myanmar people and how MAP is using the legal principle of universal jurisdiction to pursue accountability for the crimes committed by the Myanmar military.
This interview was recorded before a court in Argentina issued 25 arrest warrants for Myanmar’s military and civilian leaders, including jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and former President Htin Kyaw, on Feb. 14 for their alleged involvement in committing genocide against the Rohingya. Read more here.
Chris Gunness speaking at Tokyo’s Sophia University in 2014. He spoke to DVB on Jan. 27. (Credit: UN)
Chris Gunness, the founder and director of the Myanmar Accountability Project (MAP), joined DVB English News in the Newsroom to discuss international justice for the Myanmar people and how MAP is using the legal principle of universal jurisdiction to pursue accountability for the crimes committed by the Myanmar military in courts around the world.
This interview was recorded before a court in Argentina issued 25 arrest warrants for Myanmar’s military and civilian leaders, including jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and former President Htin Kyaw, on Feb. 14 for their alleged involvement in genocide against the Rohingya. Read more here.
The TNLA added that it proposed a ceasefire in areas where both forces are present, a halt to offensive operations on both sides, including drone strikes, heavy artillery attacks and airstrikes, and travel permission for civilians to transport food and medicine. The regime’s proposal has not been disclosed as of yet.
China’s Special Envoy to Burma Deng Xijun mediated the talks. The TNLA claimed that the military launched nearly 200 artillery rounds and bombed four villages in Nawnghkio on Saturday—one day before the talks began. Eleven townships in northern Shan and Mogok Township in neighbouring Mandalay Region are under TNLA control.
Malaysia discusses Myanmar crisis with Brunei
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra discussed Burma during a meeting with the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah in Brunei on Tuesday. Malaysia is the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Thaksin is an informal advisor to Anwar.
“No effort should be spared to continue the engagement process [in Burma] with all relevant stakeholders,” Anwar shared on social media. He referred to the ASEAN Five Point Consensus, which is the regional bloc’s peace plan for Burma. It was agreed to by regime leader Min Aung Hlaing in April 2021 but not implemented upon his return to Naypyidaw.
Malaysia stated that it is concerned about the “flourishing” illicit economy in Burma, which is largely driven by the drug trade, human trafficking, and cyber scam operations. It appointed Othman Hashim as its ASEAN Special Envoy on Burma, who met with resistance groups in Thailand to discuss three out of the five points included in the consensus on Feb. 8. But the details of the meetings were not reported.
Thai authorities inspect documents belonging to migrant workers from Burma at the Aid Alliance Committee office in Mahachai, Thailand, on Feb. 18. (Credit: AAC)
Thailand shuts down migrant worker aid group office
The authorities in Thailand shut down the office for the Aid Alliance Committee (AAC), an organization assisting migrant workers from Burma in Thailand, on Thursday. This comes two days after local authorities inspected the AAC office in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon Province of Thailand. The AAC Director Khaing Gyi told DVB that 100 migrant workers from Burma were staying temporarily at the office.
“The Deputy District Chief ordered us to close, stating that our organization is not officially registered [under Thai law]. They also checked the workers temporarily sheltering at our office. Most of them arrived through the MOU agreement [with Burma] but are now unemployed due to various reasons, including workplace rights violations or injuries,” added Khaing Gyi.
The Deputy District Chief of Samut Sakhon Province, along with police and security forces, conducted an inspection of the AAC office on Feb. 18. Workers at the office were fined, and their passports and residency permits were seized. Since 2014, the AAC has assisted migrant workers from Burma with labor disputes, workplace injuries, documentation issues, and temporary accommodation while in Thailand.
News by Region
KACHIN—Seven members of a family, including three children aged 3, 5 and 10, were killed by an airstrike carried out by the Burma Air Force in Wa Ngan village of Momauk Township, Kachin State, on Wednesday. Momauk is located 40 miles (64 km) southeast of the Kachin State capital Myitkyina.
“The bodies were scattered and the house was completely destroyed,” a Momauk resident told DVB. Another airstrike was reported in nearby Nang-I village, which injured six civilians. Momauk is 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Bhamo, where the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has been fighting the military for control since Dec. 4.
KARENNI—The Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) told DVB that nearly 100 military conscripts who recently completed training have defected to resistance forces during fighting in Moebye Township since January. Moebye is located 100 miles (160 km) south of the Shan State capital Taunggyi and 27 miles (45 km) north of the Karenni State capital Loikaw.
“The military is sending those forcibly recruited under the conscription law to the frontlines. The KNDF and allied groups have arranged basic necessities for them,” a KNDF spokesperson told DVB. Fighting against the military has intensified in Moebye, which has been under Karenni resistance control since November 2023.
SHAN—The TNLA claimed that three civilians were killed and four others were injured by airstrikes carried out by the Air Force – two days after peace talks between the TNLA and regime ended in China – on Wednesday in Nawnghkio, located 96 miles (156 km) south of the regional capital Lashio.
The Patchwork Collective Theatre performed at the opening event for Can't Stop Won't Stop 2025 at The Commune CNX in Chiang Mai, Thailand on Feb. 19. (Credit: DVB)
The third edition of “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop” kicked off at The Commune CNX in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on Feb. 19. The opening event, titled “For the Love of Heroes,” brought together 20 artists who showcased their work in an art exhibition.
“We won’t stop doing what we love doing. We can’t stop being artists. We can’t stop being painters, theatre makers, or creators. This festival is a platform for artists,” said Hnin Win, the founder of A New Burma which hosts the annual festival.
This year’s “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop” featured the Patchwork Collective Theatre, marking the first time a theatre collective has been a part of the exhibition. Despite challenges such as funding cuts to cultural grants and humanitarian aid, the efforts of the arts community in northern Thailand have kept the festival alive.
“We are very grateful that the community is here to put on this event. We hope to continue this exhibition and festival in 2026 and beyond unless we can go home [to Myanmar],” added Hnin. Can’t Stop Won’t Stop takes place at RX Cafe in Chiang Mai, Thailand Feb. 19–22.
Regime leader Min Aung Hlaing and China's Premier Li Qiang in Kunming, China, on Nov. 6. (Credit: AFP)
The regime in Naypyidaw introduced a 15-chapter Private Security Services Law on Tuesday that grants private security companies the right to bear arms. This follows reports in early January indicating that Chinese security firms were planning to operate inside the country.
The law establishes a Central Overseeing Committee, led by the regime Home Affairs Minister Tun Tun Naung, with 16 members.
“China wants to handle security itself for the Kyaukphyu deep-sea port and the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor. If Chinese personnel enter with weapons, it will alarm the public. This law was issued as a preemptive measure,” a source close to the regime told DVB.
The Private Security Services Law grants a licence period of three years. Foreign security companies are required to have up to 75 percent of Myanmar nationals employed as security personnel. Foreign security staff must hold criminal clearance certificates from their home countries and must not be members of foreign militaries.
The companies must cooperate with state security forces if necessary, though the law does not specify the extent of this cooperation. The law carries penalties ranging from one to three years in prison and fines between 10 million and 300 million MMK ($2,200-66,000 USD).
Regime Chief Minister of Ayeyarwady Region Tin Maung Win greets conscripts from the tenth intake at the Southwestern Regional Military Command headquarters in Pathein on Feb. 14. (Credit: Regime)
A source from the military in Sittwe Township told DVB on the condition of anonymity that training is being provided to over 100 Muslim conscripts inside a monastery compound near the Sittwe Regional Operation Command headquarters since January.
“Previously, the military forced Muslim people to join military training and then sent them to the frontlines,” added the anonymous source in the Arakan State capital.
The source did not confirm to DVB whether the Muslim conscripts included the Rohingya, which have been forcefully recruited by the military from Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps around Sittwe, given minimal training, and then sent to the frontline where fighting against the Arakan Army (AA) continues.
Sittwe residents told DVB that the Muslim men are from at least eight villages in the township and were also forcefully conscripted by the regime in Naypyidaw. The military conscription law was enforced on Feb. 10, 2024.
It stipulates that men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 must serve a minimum of two years in the military. This can be extended up to five years in the case of an emergency. Myanmar has been under a state of emergency since the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021.
Fighting between the AA and the military over control of Sittwe began on Jan. 16. The military has launched retaliatory artillery and air strikes against the AA, which has seized control of 14 out of Arakan’s 17 townships, including the Regional Military Command (RMC) headquarters in Ann Township.
Ponnagyun and Pauktaw townships, which surround the state capital Sittwe, are under AA control. It has expanded its Arakan offensive, launched on Nov. 13, 2023, to neighbouring Ayeyarwady, Bago, and Magway regions since January. The regime still controls Sittwe, Kyaukphyu and Manaung townships.
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