Over 10,000 prisoners included in Peasants’ Day amnesty
The regime National Defence and Security Council (NDSC) shared on Monday that 10,172 prisoners, including 7,337 convicted of violating the Counter-Terrorism Law, were included in an amnesty to mark Burma’s Peasants’ Day on March 2. It added that charges against 12,487 individuals under Sections 50(j) and 52(a) of Counter-Terrorism Law were dropped. Ten foreigners were freed to be deported.
Thaik Tun Oo, the Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM) spokesperson, told DVB that the amnesty of over 10,000 prisoners is a regime goodwill tactic ahead of its new administration taking office after parliament convenes on March 16. Sources confirmed to DVB that jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, who have been held since the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021, were not freed.
The 7,337 prisoners convicted under the Counter-Terrorism Law were charged with Section 50(j) for “funding terrorism” and 52(a) for organizing or participating in “terrorist acts.” The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has documented the arrest of 30,531 people for political reasons since the 2021 coup with 22,819 still in detention. Read more
Myanmar nationals in Middle East concerned about safety
Migrants from Burma working in Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, told DVB on Sunday that they are concerned about their safety as attacks have escalated following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. Iran responded with missiles targeting U.S. military bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the U.A.E.
“I couldn’t sleep all night. I have packed my passport and important documents into a backpack to be ready,” Soe Thu, a Burma national who fled his home country following the 2021 coup and now lives in Dubai, told DVB. Burma’s embassies in Israel and Kuwait issued safety advisories urging nationals to follow host country emergency instructions and avoid unnecessary travel.
An estimated 200,000 migrants from Burma are working in the Middle East, according to welfare agency Gulf Sustain. It highlighted that migration from Burma to the region increased after the 2021 coup due to economic decline, political instability and military conscription, adding that accurate post-coup data is difficult to obtain because of disrupted official data collection and irregular migration channels.
Over two dozen killed by airstrikes in Magway Region
At least 25 civilians were killed and 20 others were injured in airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force on a cargo truck stop near Magway Region’s Pyaung village on Sunday, residents of Mindon Township told DVB. Mindon is located 91 miles (146 km) southwest of the region’s capital Magway.
A Mindon resident told DVB that the site was a rest stop for cargo truck drivers en route from Magway to Arakan State, adding that 22 of the killed were traders from Arakan. Ba Hein, a People’s Defence Force (PDF) member in Thayet District, shared on social media that goods and vehicles, including more than 10 six-wheeled trucks, worth an estimated two billion MMK ($510,000 USD) were destroyed.
Residents told DVB that traders import goods from Magway into territory seized by the Arakan Army (AA) via Mindon, located 121 miles (194 km) southeast of Arakan’s Ann Township. A land and sea blockade by the military has been in place since 2023, when the AA launched a statewide offensive. It has seized 14 of 17 Arakan townships, as well as Paletwa Township in southern Chinland. Read more
News by Region
KARENNI—Residents of the state capital Loikaw told DVB that bribes of up to five million MMK ($1,200 USD) are being paid to regime administrators for males aged 18 to 35 to avoid military conscription. Some have fled their homes in all of Loikaw’s 13 wards to avoid conscription.
A resident told DVB that regime administrators are demanding two males per ward for the 23rd intake of military conscripts. An estimated 96,000 males have been conscripted into the military in a total of 20 intakes since the law was enforced on Feb. 10, 2024, according to DVB data.
NAYPYIDAW—Small to medium enterprise (SME) owners welcomed an initiative to offer collateral-free loans, announced by the Central Bank of Myanmar on Feb. 19. The CBM uses the Myanmar Quick Response (MMQR) digital payment system for SME owners to apply and receive loans.
An SME owner in Yangon Region told DVB that he now has a chance of securing a loan via MMQR. The CBM has not disclosed details on interest rates, loan limits, or repayment terms. Regime media reported that MMQR is a QR code–based mobile wallet launched by the CBM on Feb. 28, 2025.
SAGAING—The PDF in Pale Township told DVB that eight of its members were hospitalized and 70 are suffering from skin irritation after two paramotors emitted toxic fumes on Chinpyit and Montwin villages on Sunday. Pale is located 39 miles (62 km) southwest of the region’s capital Monywa.
Regime forces launched attacks against the PDF in Pale and Yinmabin townships, following the surrender of the Burma National Revolutionary Army (BNRA) leader Bo Nagar to the military on Feb. 18. Yinmabin and Pale are located 28-39 miles (45-62 km) west and southwest of Monywa.
SHAN—The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) told DVB that a dispute with the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) over the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in Kutkai town on Feb. 13 has not been resolved. Kutkai is located 47 miles (75 km) north of the regional capital Lashio.
Lway Yay Oo, the TNLA spokesperson, told DVB that talks with MNDAA leaders are underway. She added that the TNLA “controls” Kutkai but the MNDAA is allowed to operate in the town. Trade routes into Kutkai have been blocked from Hsenwi, 16 miles (25 km) south of Kutkai, which was seized by the MNDAA in 2024.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 3,905 MMK)
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