Kyaw Moe Tun attends Ray: The Movie premiere in US
Burma’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, joined members of the diaspora in New York City at a screening of RAY: The Movie on Saturday. Addressing the audience, he congratulated director The Khit Nay and expressed deep gratitude to the diaspora for their unwavering moral and financial backing of the resistance to the 2021 military coup.
The Khit Nay wrote and directed three TV series from 2018-20 before the 2021 coup. He was resettled to Australia with his wife and daughter in 2023 after an arrest warrant was issued for him by the regime for his anti-coup activism. His film credits include “Myo Pya Pyauk Kyar [Urban Guerrilla]” and “Ma Nat Phan The Thin Nae Thet Sai Hmu Ma Shi Say Ya [Tomorrow Isn’t For Everyone].”
Ray: The Movie is produced by Lebanese-Myanmar couple Robert and Sophia Sarkis—the latter crowned Mrs. Universe Australia Charity Queen 2022—and is based on the book “Ma Yai Lae Tan [Unshakable]” by Khat Zaw. It is also based on the true story of Htar Htet Htet, a 36-year-old who left behind a successful modelling and acting career to take up arms against the regime.
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UN Special Rapporteur urges Malaysia to halt deportations
The U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burma, Kelley E. Currie, issued an urgent appeal to Malaysian authorities on Thursday, calling for an immediate halt to the ongoing repatriation of 5,000 Burma nationals. She warned that returning asylum seekers to Burma poses a risk of persecution, and severe human rights violations, directly violating international legal obligations.
The appeal follows Malaysia’s deportation of an initial group of 1,476 Burma nationals aboard three naval vessels sent by the regime in Naypyidaw, marking the start of a planned repatriation program targeting up to 5,000 individuals by the Malaysian government. Currie emphasized that conditions on-the-ground inside Burma mean that a safe, dignified, and voluntary return do not exist.
She urged Putrajaya to adhere to the principle of non-refoulement and collaborate with the U.N. system to establish legal protection frameworks for refugees in Malaysia. In her maiden public address since assuming the mandate as U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights, Currie delivered a candid assessment of the Rohingya refugee crisis on the sidelines of the General Assembly on Sept. 22.
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Watch our recent Newsroom interview with Currie
Philippines expresses concern over 50 killed in Rakhine State
The Philippines, the 2026 Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), issued an official statement on Saturday expressing severe concern over airstrikes in Burma’s Arakan State that killed at least 50 and injured 58 in Kyauktaw Township on Sept. 28. Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for ASEAN Affairs Ana Marie Hernando stated on Oct. 3 that Manila is closely monitoring developments in Burma.
She reaffirmed that as the current chair of ASEAN, the Philippines remains dedicated to implementing the Five Point Consensus, which is the regional bloc’s peace plan calling for an end to violence and dialogue among all stakeholders to the conflict since the 2021 coup. Min Aung Hlaing, the military general who led the coup, agreed to the framework in April 2021 but never implemented it upon return to Burma.
Manila added that it stands ready to facilitate further ASEAN discussions on Burma, adhering to the “Myanmar-owned and led” principle of resolving the crisis since the 2021 coup. This statement follows airstrikes on Kyauktaw’s “Indian Market” and Kissapanadi Bridge, which marked the single deadliest attack in Arakan since at least 30 were killed by an airstrike on a hospital in Mrauk-U Township on Dec. 11.
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News by Region
KACHIN—At least seven people, including a Chinese owner, four workers and two residents, were killed and 11 were injured during an explosion at an explosives storage facility in Pangwa town in Chipwi Township on Friday. Naw Bu, the KIA spokesperson, said that the explosives were stored for mining operations.
Pangwa, located along the Burma-China border and 114-158 miles (183-254 km) northeast of the state capital Myitkyina and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) headquarters in Laiza, is a hub for rare earth mining in northern Kachin. It was seized by the KIA on Oct. 19, 2024. Read the full article on our website
KARENNI—The Interim Executive Council (IEC)—a provisional government established in June 2023—told DVB that the regime’s Eastern Central Regional Military Command (RMC) headquarters has been relocated to the state capital Loikaw Township from Shan State’s Kholam town.
“I think the military wants to escalate its counteroffensive in Karenni State,” Banyar Aung, the IEC Secretary-2, told DVB, adding that regime forces also want to fortify their defence along the Naypyidaw-southern Shan State corridor which borders Karenni. Read the full article on our website
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Check out Khin Ohmar’s series: Letters to a young activist. Go to DVB English News Opinion to read all five letters.
