The Kachin Independence Army and regime forces have been fighting oover control of Bhamo Township in southern Kachin State since Dec. 4. (Credit: KIA)
The Kachin Independence Army (KIA), and allied resistance forces, have reported an undisclosed number of casualties due to military drone strikes in response to the seizure of territory and outposts in southern Kachin State by the KIA, which launched its offensive in Bhamo District on Dec. 4.
“The military has been using drones more frequently,” Naw Bu, the spokesperson for KIA, told DVB without providing any further details. He declined to disclose KIA defence strategy against military drone attacks, but assured that it would respond in the “best way possible.”
The regime still holds the MOC 21, Light Infantry Battalions (LIB) 47, 236 and 237, as well as engineering, medical and logistics battalions in Bhamo.
Former Burma Army Captain Zin Yaw, who defected from the military to the resistance following the 2021 military coup, stated that captured weapons from the Light Infantry Division (LID) 99 by the Arakan Army (AA) indicated that the military has a new arsenal of drones.
The regime has deployed this arsenal in its defense of Bhamo against the KIA. Zin Yaw called on resistance forces to prepare themselves for this by developing defence strategies against drone strikes.
The increasing use of drones on the battlefield by the military follows regime leader Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to the Zhongyue Aviation UAV Firefighting-Drone Company during his trip to China in November.
DVB contacted the National Unity Government (NUG) Ministry of Defence for a response to the military’s drone deployment, but has yet to receive a response.
The Democratic Karen Benevolent Army rejected allegations of human trafficking into cyber scam centers in Payathonzu after Beijing and Bangkok stepped up pressure along the Burma-Thailand border. (Credit: DVB)
Karen State armed group denies role in cyber scams
The Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) dismissed allegations of human trafficking into cyber scam operations in Payathonzu town, also known as Three Pagodas Pass, in Kyain Seikgyi Township of Karen State on Monday. Payathonzu is located 143 miles (230 km) south of the state capital Hpa-An and next to Nong Lu in Kanchanaburi Province of Thailand.
The DKBA issued a notice on Sunday instructing Chinese nationals in Burma, who are illegally residing and working in its territory, to leave by Feb. 28. “I have not seen any Kokang Chinese nationals involved in scam activities in Payathonzu. Some arrived after the battles in Laukkai and Lashio. These people are known for their involvement in gambling activities,” Saw Ae Wang, a DKBA tactical commander, told DVB.
An anti-human trafficking activist working on the Burma-Thai border accused the regime in Naypyidaw, the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), the Karen National Union (KNU), and the DKBA of “turning a blind eye” to cyber scams. Bangkok cut power to Payathonzu and Shwe Kokko in Myawaddy Township, as well as Tachilek Township in Shan State, to crackdown on cyber scams last Wednesday.
Arrest warrant request for Karen Border Guard Force leaders
Prosecutors at Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation (DSI) Human Trafficking Crime Bureau are discussing potential arrest warrants for three Karen BGF leaders, including Saw Chit Thu, on allegations of operating cyber scam centers along the Burma-Thai border in Myawaddy across from Mae Sot, Tak Province.
“The problem will not end unless its root cause is tackled,” said Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand’s former prime minister and the de facto leader of the ruling Pheu Thai Party led by his daughter Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. “If the scammers are booted out of the country, we will resume the supply of electricity and internet signals,” he added.
The DSI reportedly received evidence from an Indian national who was rescued after being trafficked and forced to work at a cyber scam center in Myawaddy. DSI is also pursuing arrest warrants for BGF leaders Saw Mote Thone and Saw Tin Win. Thaksin met with Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to discuss Burma on Feb. 2. Read more.
Military accused of using human shields in Tanintharyi Region
A People’s Defence Force (PDF) leader in Tanintharyi Region accused the military of using civilians as human shields in its offensives against resistance forces, carrying out airstrikes, and of setting fire to six houses in Htonekhar village, located along the Tanintharyi-Mawtaung road, since Dec. 17.
“When moving between locations, they use villagers as cover and take them along,” said Ko Star, a PDF leader in Burma’s southeastern region. He added that airstrikes were carried out by the Burma Air Force along the Tanintharyi–Mawtaung road on Feb. 3. The road spans 69 miles (111 km) and connects Tanintharyi town to Mawtaung town on the Thai border.
Over 1,800 residents from Htonekhar, Thephyu, Theinkhun and Chaung Nhit Pauk villages, which are located along the road, have fled their homes and taken refuge in nearby forests. The Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are in need of humanitarian aid. A member of the Nway Oo Metta humanitarian aid group told DVB that IDPs suffer from respiratory infections and body aches due to the cold weather.
News by Region
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar with Min Aung Hlaing at the regime leader’s “Credentials Hall” in Naypyidaw on Feb. 9. (Credit: Regime media)
NAYPYIDAW—Regime leader Min Aung Hlaing met with Indian spiritual leader and peace ambassador Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Naypyidaw on Sunday, regime media reported. He also met with Yar Pyae, the chairperson of the regime National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee.
“The purpose of his visit to Myanmar is to offer support in any possible way for the country’s peace and prosperity,” regime media added. Shankar wants to assist the regime with its elections tentatively scheduled for November. The Indian Embassy in Yangon acknowledged Shankar’s visit, stating that it was “a part of his peace efforts.”
SAGAING—Kani Township residents told DVB that two civilians were killed by a paramotor strike carried out by the military on Natlapo Myauk village on Tuesday. The village is located five miles (8 km) north of the Northwestern Regional Military Command (RMC) headquarters in Monywa Township.
“Two bombs were dropped, one hit a house directly,” a resident told DVB. He added that one person was killed instantly, while the other succumbed to injuries while being transported to the hospital. This is the second military paramotor strike in Kani this month. The first killed a resident of Sulegon village on Friday.
TANINTHARYI—Bokepyin Township residents told DVB that three men were killed and 102 were arrested, including women and children, by the military as they were preparing to depart Burma for Thailand on Feb. 5. Bokepyin is located 282 miles (453 km) north of the regional capital Dawei.
“The [three] victims died at the hospital from gunshot wounds,” a Bokepyin resident told DVB. The 105 Burma nationals had traveled to Bokepyin and awaited transportations into Thailand. Residents claimed that there have been many people fleeing into Thailand illegally due to the conscription law, and being arrested along the Burma-Thai border. | N
The mother of one of the military's victims leaves a cigar on the fence where her son's decapitated body was found hanging after a massacre in Sipa village of Butalin Township, Sagaing Region, on Oct. 17. (Credit: CJ)
Aid workers assisting Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Myanmar told DVB that survivors of massacres, attacks, and human rights violations, committed by pro-regime forces since the 2021 military coup, need psychosocial support for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“The wife of one of [a man killed by the military] told us that she could not sleep and felt insecure because she witnessed her husband killed in front of her,” an aid worker from Myinmu Township, providing psychosocial support to IDPs in Sagaing Region, told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
Six of his relatives were among those killed. “They [regime soldiers] told us to step out from the monastery. They forced young men to sit together and killed them. We were ordered to watch,” he told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
Lethtoketaw village has 700 homes and is located at the junction of Myaung-Mandalay and Monywa-Mandalay roads. More than 500 homes there were destroyed by arson attacks conducted by the military on May 6, 2023. Myinmu is located 36 miles (57 km) southeast of the Sagaing Region capital Monywa.
“I looked for my uncle once the military left the village. He was left behind when we fled our home. My body was shaken when I found the bodies. I don’t ever want to recall that scene,” said the niece of Kyaung Po, 60, who was killed and decapitated by regime soldiers.
Kyaw Zaw, the National Unity Government (NUG) President’s Office spokesperson, told DVB that the NUG Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Health provide on-site consultations and online telehealth services with professional psychologists.
“We provide counseling for the victims affected by [military attacks],” he said. “These [massacres] will end if the dictatorship fails, and that’s why we are trying to achieve that goal.”
A total of 293 massacres have occurred across Myanmar from Feb. 1, 2021 up to Jan. 20. This is when five or more people are killed in one attack. DVB data states that 3,188 people, including 288 children, have been killed in massacres committed by pro-military forces in Myanmar since the 2021 coup.
Karen Border Guard Force leaders Saw Chit Thu and Saw Mote Thone are facing accusations of human trafficking into BGF-controlled territories, including Shwe Kokko, where alleged cyber scams operate along the Myanmar-Thailand border. (Credit: BGF)
A report released by Thailand’s Ministry of Justice stated that investigators from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) presented evidence related to human trafficking into Myanmar’s Karen State on Tuesday, Thailand’s Matichon newspaper reported.
Prosecutors at the DSI Human Trafficking Crime Bureau in Bangkok are discussing a potential arrest warrant for Saw Chit Thu, the leader of the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), which was rebranded as the Karen National Army (KNA) last year, on allegations of operating cyber scam centers in Myawaddy Township.
Myawaddy is located 80 miles (128 km) west of the Karen State capital Hpa-An along the Myanmar-Thailand border across from Mae Sot, Tak Province.
“The problem will not end unless its root cause is tackled,” said Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand’s former prime minister and the de facto leader of the ruling Pheu Thai Party led by his daughter Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
“Communities [in Myanmar] must realise they should no longer support those call-centre scam gangs,” Thaksin said to Thai media on Monday. “If the scammers are booted out of the country, we will resume the supply of electricity and internet signals,” he added.
The DSI reportedly received evidence from an Indian national who was rescued after being trafficked and forced to work at a cyber scam operation in Myawaddy. It is also pursuing arrest warrants for two other BGF leaders, Saw Mote Thone and Saw Tin Win.
Saw Chit Thu, the Karen Border Guard Force leader, has been sanctioned by the U.K. for links to human trafficking and forced labour in cyber scam operations run out of the BGF-controlled casino complex at Shwe Kokko, Karen State. (Credit: KIC)
Calls for Karen Border Guard Force leader’s arrest
Rangsiman Rome, the chairperson of Thailand’s House Committee on National Security, Border Affairs, National Strategy, and National Reform, called for the arrest of Saw Chit Thu, the leader of the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), on Sunday. The BGF handed over 61 human trafficking victims from seven countries to Thai authorities on Thursday.
“My sources indicate that Saw Chit Thu holds many secrets about certain government officials in Thailand, as he has allegedly funneled large sums of money as bribes to Thai authorities,” claimed Rome without providing further details. He added that his government must do more to address the issue of transnational crime along the Burma-Thailand border.
Bangkok cut power and fuel imports to Karen State’s Shwe Kokko and Payathonzu, as well as Shan State’s Tachilek last Wednesday. Fuel stations in Myawaddy have limited sales to 30,000 MMK ($6 USD) per customer, as the price of a liter of gasoline rose from 6,000 to 15,000 MMK ($1-3 USD). Drivers queued at the Thai border to be able to purchase fuel in Mae Sot at 30 THB ($1 USD) per liter on Monday.
Report on economic strategy to hit military financing released
The Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M), led by three human rights experts on Burma, released a report by Australian economist Sean Turnell on Tuesday. It examines the military’s control over the country’s finances and outlines steps for the international community to help build a fair and prosperous economy for the people of Burma.
“The international community must act on this critical vulnerability by strengthening sanctions against State-owned banks and other institutions the junta relies on to facilitate its global transactions,” said Turnell, who served as the economic advisor to State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) government from 2015-2020.
Turnell was arrested on Feb. 6, 2021 – five days after the military coup – and was released after 650 days in captivity on Nov. 16, 2022. The SAC-M was established on March 1, 2021 and its stated aims are to cut the military’s access to weapons and finances. It also advocates for ending impunity in Burma by holding the military accountable.
Kachin Independence Army fighters in Kachin State in 2023. (Credit: Kachin News Group)
Regime administration collapses in Kachin State’s Bhamo
The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) told DVB on Saturday that the regime administration has ceased in Bhamo Township as fighting with the military continues near Artillery Battalion 366, which was seized by the KIA on Feb. 2. Bhamo, home to the Military Operations Command (MOC) 21, is located 120 miles (193 km) south of the Kachin State capital Myitkyina and 58 miles (93 km) southwest of Laiza, the KIA headquarters.
“We noticed the regime has relied more on drone-, air- and artillery strikes for defence,” Naw Bu, the KIA spokesperson, told DVB. He added that military personnel, including police, have consolidated regime forces at the MOC 21. The KIA, and allied resistance forces, have also seized the Bhamo Airport on Jan. 26, an armored battalion on Jan. 25, and the neighbouring town of Mansi in southern Kachin on Jan. 8.
CHINLAND—The Chinland Defense Force-Hakha (CDF-Hakha) claimed that 46 resistance members have been killed and 200 others have been injured in fighting with the military since Feb. 1, 2021. The CDF-Hakha stated that it is planning to seize control of the Chinland capital Hakha this year in a video recorded at an online fundraising event on Feb. 6.
“We will not hesitate to sacrifice our lives in order to seize the town,” said Salai Haramlyan, the CDF-Hakha chairperson. He added that it had participated in over 340 attacks against regime outposts in Chinland and launched more than 140 operations since the 2021 coup. Thantlang, Tedim and Falam, which are located 22-122 miles (35-196 km) to the west and north of Hakha, are under regime control.
MANDALAY—At least three civilians were killed and 20 others were injured by airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force on Mogok town on Sunday. Residents told DVB that more than 20 bombs were dropped in seven airstrikes in the western part of Mogok, which is located 124 miles (200 km) north of Mandalay.
“The bombs landed onto the ruby mines. We heard there were problems between ruby miners and someone tipping off the location to the military,” a Mogok resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) seized control of the vital ruby mining hub of Mogok Township, on July 24. Read more.
SHAN—Staff at the regime Ministry of Education in Taunggyi told DVB that they have been informed that they must join a one-month-long military training after this year’s upcoming Thingyan festival, which will be held April 13-16. Taunggyi is the capital of Shan State and is under regime control.
“Everyone is concerned about it even though we don’t know exactly who will receive the training. Some people plan to resign [from their jobs] as they might be sent to the frontline after the training,” a teacher in Taunggyi told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The regime administration told them they would not be sent to the frontline.
TANINTHARYI—Mawtaung Township residents are worried about the rising price of food due to the Tanintharyi-Mawtaung Road closure caused by fighting between resistance forces and the military since Dec. 18. Mawtaung is located 249 miles (400 km) southeast of the regional capital Dawei across the border from Prachuap Khiri Khan Province of Thailand.
“Prices of all goods have gone up. Shops haven’t closed down, but supplies are running low,” a Mawtaung resident told DVB. He added that prior to the road’s closure, the price of a sack of rice was around 500 THB ($14 USD) but is now 800 THB ($23 USD). Residents now solely rely on commodities smuggled in from Thailand.
A Rohingya family crosses a bamboo bridge in a refugee camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh in May. (Credit: Reuters)
A total of 33 Rohingya, who allegedly crossed the Myanmar-Bangladesh border illegally, were arrested by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in Bandarban district on Saturday, the Anadolu News Agency reported.
Bandarban is located 72 miles (116 km) north of Cox’s Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh, where over one million Rohingya live in refugee camps.
Ten men, nine women, and 14 children were arrested after the BGB and other law enforcement agencies inspected a camp in Alikadam sub district of Bandarban.
The BGB reported that the 33 Rohingya had fled from Myanmar and had paid for safe passage into Cox’s Bazar. It added that the Rohingya will be deported back to Myanmar.
The BGB arrested 53 Rohingya in Alikadam, Bandarban district, on Jan. 11. It told the media that the Rohingya had fled fighting between the Arakan Army (AA) and the regime in northern Arakan State.
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