NLD claims nearly 6,000 civilians killed since 2021 coup
The National League for Democracy (NLD) party issued a statement on Saturday claiming that a total of 5,666 civilians, including NLD party members, have been killed by the military since the Feb. 1, 2021 coup. It added that a total of 835 civilians’ homes, which includes those belonging to NLD party members, were seized and sealed off by the military, so they wouldn’t be able to return.
“The military is breaking [international law],” stated the NLD in a press release on Aug. 23. It went on to claim that civilian infrastructure was intentionally targeted by the military with a minimum of 1,600 schools, hospitals, clinics, and religious buildings destroyed since 2021. At least 167 NLD party offices across the country were either shut down or ransacked by pro-regime forces, according to the statement.
The NLD governed the country after it won a landslide victory in the 2015 elections. It was reelected with an overwhelming majority in 2020 but pro-military parties accused it of voter fraud, which led to the 2021 coup by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. Neither he, nor pro-military parties, have ever provided evidence of fraud. NLD State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint have been held in prison since 2021.
Bangladesh hosts conference on Rohingya refugee crisis
An international conference called “Stakeholders’ Dialogue: Takeaway to the High-Level Conference on the Rohingya situation” was held Aug. 24-25 in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. It is a precursor to the “U.N. High-Level Conference on the Situation of Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar” set to take place in September. Bangladesh interim government Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus spoke at the conference on Monday.
“During [the] last eight years, [the] people of Bangladesh, in particular the host community here in Cox’s Bazar, have been making tremendous sacrifices. The impact on our economy, resources, environment and ecosystem, society and governance have been huge. I thank our host community and the people of Bangladesh for their wholehearted support and enormous sacrifices for the Rohingyas,” said Yunus.
Bangladesh media reported that Rohingya community leaders from the refugee camps, as well as civil society organizations, U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar Tom Andrews, the Head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) Nicholas Koumjian, and representatives from U.N. agencies, also attended the conference. Read more
Railway bridge damaged during fighting in northern Shan State
Residents in northern Shan State told DVB that the 125-year-old Gokhteik Viaduct connecting Kyaukme Township to Nawnghkio Township was damaged on Sunday and is no longer in use. Pro-regime social media accounts accused the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) of damaging the bridge with a mine. Lway Yay Oo, the TNLA spokesperson, told DVB that regime forces attacked the TNLA nearby.
She added that the viaduct was damaged in an attack by regime Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), or drones, and stray ammunition. “The section on the Kyaukme side broke, but it was minor and I think it can be repaired,” a Kyaukme resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Zaw Min Tun, the regime’s spokesperson, told pro-military media that the TNLA was responsible and that they would respond “harshly.”
Sources told DVB that 34 residents of Nawngpain village in Kyaukme were injured by artillery strikes and were taken to the Lashio General Hospital on Aug. 21. Fighting continued in Nawngpain village, located 22 miles (35 km) southeast of Nawnghkio on Aug. 24. Nawnghkio came under regime control on July 16, Kyaukme and Nawnghkio are located 66-96 miles (106-154 km) south of the regional capital Lashio.
News by Region
SHAN—Residents of Hsenwi Township told DVB that the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) threatened to confiscate property belonging to families of new recruits if they leave without approval. Hsenwi is located 31 miles (49 km) north of the regional capital Lashio.
A Hsenwi resident told DVB that the MNDAA ordered families to send a substitute if their children refuse to service and desert. In MNDAA-controlled territory of Laukkai, Konkyan, Hsenwi, and Kunlong townships, the statute of limitations to prosecute a deserter is five years.
MON—Residents in Kyaikhto Township told DVB that two Buddhist monks were killed and five monks were injured by an airstrike carried out by the Burma Air Force on a monastery in Ngapyawtaw village on Sunday. Kyaikhto is located 87 miles (140 km) north of the state capital Mawlamyine.
“The airstrike occurred when the monks gathered inside the monastery after eating lunch,” a Kyaikhto resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Residents also claimed that regime forces have frequently conducted air and artillery attacks on at least four villages in the township.
ARAKAN—Aid groups told DVB that they are struggling with a shortage of blood donors in townships under Arakan Army (AA) control. An aid worker in Mrauk-U Township attributed the challenges to poor communications, a shortage of medicines and medical equipment, as well as the emigration of youth.
A bottle of blood costs as high as 300,000 MMK ($66 USD) in Arakan, according to aid groups. The regime has blocked roads and waterways into Arakan in response to the AA’s state–wide offensive launched against regime forces on Nov. 13, 2023. The AA has seized 14 out of Arakan’s 17 townships.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,360 MMK)
Op-ed: What I witnessed during my visit to the Rohingya refugee camps. Find DVB English News on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok & Bluesky. Subscribe to us on YouTube.
