Power cuts disrupt water supply in Yangon Region
Residents of Yangon Region told DVB that they’ve been struggling with water shortages due to “frequent” power outages, which started on March 18 and are expected to continue until the end of June. The regime’s Ministry of Electric Power reported that electricity will be distributed in two groups on a rotating four-hour schedule between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. every day in Yangon Region.
“They say the power should come back at 5 p.m. but it doesn’t,” a resident in Mingalar Taungnyunt Township told DVB on the condition of anonymity, adding that residents must have power to pump water into their homes. Factory owners in Yangon told DVB that the ministry’s regular electricity supply, priced at 150–500 MMK ($0.03–0.11) per unit, is plagued by “frequent” power outages.
A “24-hour” power supply at a rate of 900 MMK ($0.21 USD) per unit was introduced on Feb. 1. Burma consumes 4,664 megawatts of electricity per day but can generate only 3,600 MW—about 77 per cent of demand—according to the regime. The Fire Services Department stated that it has donated water to residents of Mayangone, North Dagon, Pazuntaung, Kungyangone, East Dagon, Kyimyindaing, Thingangyun and Sanchaung townships.
Thailand urged to assist Rohingya refugees
Fortify Rights called on Bangkok to grant legal status and support third-country resettlement for Rohingya refugees who arrived in Thailand in February after being “forcibly” returned to Burma by Indian authorities in May 2025. It warned that they now face detention, extortion, and the risk of further displacement, describing their ordeal as “chain refoulement,” or repeated forced returns across countries.
“Rohingya refugees are being pushed from one danger to another,” stated Puttanee Kangkun, the director at Fortify Rights, in a press release on April 8. She wants Thailand to ensure lawful pathways to protection that respect refugee rights. Puttanee also demanded that India investigate and hold its officials accountable for the forced deportation and reported abuse of an unknown number of Rohingya refugees.
Over one million Rohingya, many of whom fled Burma military operations in 2017, live in refugee camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar District, as well as in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. An estimated 519,647 Rohingya remain in Arakan State, according to the U.N. In Burma, Rohingya face ongoing security risks and restrictions on basic rights, including freedom of movement and access to citizenship.
Who is Myanmar’s Commander-in-Chief Ye Win Oo?
The Myanmar Defense & Security Institute (MDSI) told DVB that the elevation of Ye Win Oo, from intelligence chief to become Burma’s new commander-in-chief, marks the first time in the country’s history that a “spymaster” and graduate of the Officers Training School (OTS) – instead of an alumni of the Defense Services Academy (DSA) – has risen to the top post in the military.
“We saw him use various methods to dismantle opposition groups in order to consolidate and strengthen the political power of the regime. For example, he carried out suppressions against urban [underground] groups, tortured [members of] resistance groups, and violated human rights [at military interrogation centers],” Naung Yoe, the MDSI research officer, told DVB.
Ye Win Oo oversaw the arrests of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint during the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021. He’s the chief of the Military Security Affairs Corps and the chief executive officer of the regime’s National Defence and Security Council (NDSC). He was appointed Chief of the Burma Army on March 2 and has held various military posts prior to the 2021 coup. Read more
News by Region
NAYPYIDAW—At least 50 regime staff have been “ordered” to participate on a rotating basis in the annual Thingyan Water Festival April 13-16, a source told DVB. A “Walking Thingyan” pavilion has been constructed in front of Naypyidaw City Hall, located along the Pyinmana-Taungnyo road.
The source told DVB on the condition of anonymity that each department of a regime ministry must arrange its own dancing troupe to perform during the festival. They were told to cancel their plans to visit their families due to this order to remain in the capital and participate in Thingyan.
SAGAING—A Buddhist monk and two women were killed in Shwebo Township’s Sinin village during airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force April 3-8. Eight civilians, including two girls, were injured at the monastery. Shwebo is located 57 miles (91 km) northeast of the region’s capital Monywa.
Residents told DVB that two pagodas, 10 homes, a school, and an unknown number of shelters inside the monastery were destroyed. “Innocent civilians, monasteries, clinics, hospitals and schools are not military targets,” a People’s Defense Force (PDF) member told DVB. Read more
SHAN—Sources close to the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) told DVB that Deputy Chairperson Gunmaw Sumlut met with leaders of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP) last week.
Naw Bu, the KIO spokesperson, confirmed to DVB the meetings took place. The KIO ceased taxation at its checkpoints in Kutkai Township’s Namhpatkar village, which it seized in 2024, last month. The MNDAA seized Kutkai, 47 miles (75 km) north of the regional capital Lashio, from the TNLA on March 15.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,150 MMK)
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