Protest in Sagaing Region over arrest of resistance members
Residents in Mingin Township of Sagaing Region told DVB that 200 gathered to protest on Saturday against the People’s Administration under the National Unity Government (NUG) for detaining five resistance group members and one civilian on Aug. 28. Mingin is located 114 miles (183 km) north of the region’s capital Monywa.
Sources in Mingin told DVB that the six were arrested for allegedly collecting funds by taxing local residents without sharing any further details. The five are members of local defence forces known as the “Student Revolutionary Force” and the “Mingin Local Union,” which are outside of the NUG chain of command.
Win Min Soe, the official in charge of the local People’s Administration in Mingin, declined to respond to a DVB request for comment. The regime reportedly administers urban areas of Mingin while various resistance forces, including the NUG, are in control of the rural areas of the township.
Min Aung Hlaing meets Narendra Modi in China
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with regime leader Min Aung Hlaing in Tianjin, China, on Sunday. The two held talks during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which was from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1. Prime Minister Modi shared on social media that he discussed rare earth mining, trade, and border security, with Min Aung Hlaing.
Richard Horsey, the senior Myanmar advisor at the International Crisis Group (ICG), told DVB on Aug. 13 that India is interested in Burma’s rare earths as it is in “strategic competition” with China over access to these critical minerals. The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) seized control of the rare earth mining towns of Chipwi and Tsawlaw in northeastern Kachin State, near the Burma-China border, in October.
Regime media reported that Min Aung Hlaing requested that India send observers to its elections scheduled to begin on Dec. 28, and to back Burma’s entry into the SCO. Chinese President Xi Jinping also reportedly backs adding Burma. This was the second meeting between Min Aung Hlaing and India’s Prime MInister since the 2021 military coup. The pair previously met in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 4. Read more
Magway Region peanut farmers report losses
Peanut farmers in Magway Region told DVB that they have suffered losses this year due to excessive rainfall and rising production costs. The cost to cultivate one basket (32.6 kg) of peanuts is now 25,000 MMK ($5 USD), while the market price per basket has fallen below 20,000 MMK ($4 USD), according to farmers who spoke to DVB.
One in Magway said that heavy rains from May to July resulted in yields of only 35 baskets (1,141 kg) of peanuts per acre, which is only half of his production target. An oil mill owner in Magway told DVB that if farmers incurred losses due to rains, they may be reluctant to grow cold season peanuts, which could reduce the supply of raw materials for mills that produce cooking oil.
Burma consumes 1.2 million tons of oil annually, of which 900,000 tons are imported, according to the regime Ministry of Commerce’s figures in 2024. A cooking oil producer told DVB that the regime’s monthly import of 35,000 tons of palm oil “harms” domestic firms and recommended supporting local businesses. Business owners told DVB that “complex procedures” hinder the regime’s edible oil loan scheme.
News by Region
MAGWAY—The People’s Defense Force (PDF) in Yesagyo Township told DVB that five civilians were killed and 10 were injured by airstrikes in Ngatayaw village on Sunday. Yesagyo is located 133 miles (214 km) north of the region’s capital Magway
“An aircraft from Mandalay’s Tada-U airport dropped bombs [on the village],” a PDF member told DVB, adding that 10 homes were also destroyed. Ngatayaw village was targeted by regime arson attacks in 2022. Yesagyo was among 63 towns placed under martial law on July 31.
SAGAING—Residents of Myinmu Township told DVB that two civilians were killed and six others were injured by a paramotor attack carried out on a monastery in Ngakinmyauk village on Saturday. Myinmu is located 36 miles (57 km) southeast of the region’s capital Monywa.
“Two men in their 40s were killed,” a Myinmu resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The paramotor was launched from the Northwestern Regional Military Command (RMC) headquarters in Monywa, according to a member of an unnamed resistance group.
A PDF member in Kanni Township told DVB that the NUG has seized property belonging to 13 people who were arrested on Aug. 24 and accused of misuse of public funds amounting to over five billion MMK (over $1,140,000 USD). Kanni is located 40 miles (64 km) north of the region’s capital Monywa.
The 13 are members of the People’s Administration Team (PAT), the People’s Defense Team (PDT), and the PDF, under the NUG. The PDF member added that the arrests and ongoing investigation will set an example among members of the NUG administration, which began in 2023 after Kanni was seized by the PDF.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,340 MMK)
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