FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM
NUG Ambassador to receive award
Irish news agency Diplomacy in Ireland – The European Diplomat awarded Linn Thant, the National Unity Government (NUG) Ambassador to the Czech Republic, with the “Diplomatic Service Medal with Honours” for his involvement with Burma’s pro-democracy movement.
“Ambassador Thant has demonstrated the power of ideas to transform the world and has done Europe a service by inviting it to participate along with the NUG in creating a renewed, stable, peaceful and prosperous democratic future,” said Miceál O’Hurley, the editor-in-chief at Diplomacy in Ireland – The European Diplomat.
Linn Thant will accept the award in Ireland. He has lived in Prague since applying and receiving political asylum in the Czech Republic in 2011. He was appointed the NUG Ambassador to the Czech Republic on April 24, 2021.
Humanitarian aid into Burma from Thailand to begin in March
Thailand’s Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-nukara said that the delivery of cross-border humanitarian aid into Burma is expected to begin in March, ThaiPBS reported.
“Hopefully, the humanitarian assistance initiative, if successfully carried out, should help bring about trust among the conflicting parties to the point that they will be willing to sit down for a dialogue,” he said.
The Thai and Myanmar Red Cross Society will oversee the delivery of food and medical supplies. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management will monitor aid deliveries.
Bangladesh official accuses Naypyidaw of instigating conflict
The Director-General of Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion police force, M Khurshid Hossain, accused Burma’s military of trying to provoke war between the neighboring countries, New Age Bangladesh reported.
“Myanmar is always instigating Bangladesh, starting with the intrusion of Rohingyas. The situation has, however, been handled due to the strong attitude of prime minister Sheikh Hasina,” he said.
Hossain accused the military of using its conflict with the Arakan Army (AA) near the border of the two countries to “create trouble” for Bangladesh. A Rohingya man and a Bangladeshi woman were killed by a mortar shell fired from Burma in Bangladesh on Feb. 5.
Shan armed group leader denies trying to sell uranium
The Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS/SSA) leader Yawd Serk denied accusations that he tried to supply weapons-grade nuclear materials to alleged Yakuza leader Takeshi Ebisawa in 2021.
“I said I have never known about it and will look into it. Because I know nothing about uranium material,” he told Shan media outlet Tai Freedom, which is affiliated with the RCSS, on Feb. 25.
The denial came as the U.S. Department of Justice indicted Ebisawa for seeking to sell plutonium and uranium obtained from the RCSS to Iran. Ebisawa allegedly intended to use funds obtained from the sale to purchase weapons on behalf of the RCSS.
News by Region
SHAN—The Pa-O Youth Organization stated that at least 33 civilians, including five children, were killed and 51 were injured by airstrikes and artillery during clashes between the Pa-O National Liberation Army (PNLA) and Burma Army in Hsihseng, Hopong, and Loilem townships since Jan. 21.
It added that more than 90,000 have become Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). “We need food and medicines. There are no more donors in the monasteries,” said an unnamed resident. The Pa-O Youth Organization added that 83 homes and 12 religious buildings were destroyed during the fighting.
Charity group, Kan Lint Lan, stated that a man was killed and three others were injured after they accidentally activated a landmine in Naungpyit village of Kyaukme Township on Feb. 25. “Four workers, all men, loaded sugarcane into a truck beside the road. One was killed instantly and two of them seriously injured,” said a spokesperson from Kan Lint Lan.
AYEYARWADY—A student in Pathein said that the Burma Army has been providing military training to university students in Ayeyarwady Region since early February. “The training is ongoing. It will last for one month and five days,” said the unnamed student.
A source close to the University Training Corps said that the military is training students to serve for “emergency situations.” Education workers at universities across the country said that the military is planning to provide training to students in Yangon, Mandalay, and other cities.
SAGAING—Six civilians, two People’s Defense Force (PDF) members, and at least five Burma Army soldiers, including a captain, have been killed during fighting between resistance forces and the Burma Army.
The PDF claimed that resistance forces now control military outposts in Sekkant, Kangyi and Kantha villages near Kalay town on Feb. 23. “There are ongoing clashes on the ground and the situation is unstable,” said the PDF spokesperson.
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