Regime deputy and military headquarters targeted
A resistance group calling itself the Brave Warriors for Myanmar claimed that it launched an attack on regime Deputy Prime Minister Soe Win in the Karenni State capital of Loikaw on Tuesday. Soe Win was allegedly in Loikaw in advance of “Kayah State Day” on Thursday. The resistance group also targeted the military’s Regional Control Command Center in Loikaw.
“It was challenging since we had limited time to act quickly upon hearing of Soe Win’s visit. This attack on Soe Win was aimed at contributing to the liberation from the oppressive military dictatorship,” said the group’s spokesperson. The Northwestern Regional Military Command (RMC) headquarters also came under attack in Monywa, Sagaing Region, located 342 miles (550 km) northwest of Loikaw, on Jan. 14.
Eleven military personnel were reportedly killed and three were injured at the Northwestern RMC. The Deputy Commander’s residence and the main office at the RMC in Monywa were damaged. Pro-military channels on social media have shared details about retaliatory airstrikes on Loikaw, located 134 miles (215 km) east of the capital Naypyidaw. Regime media has yet to report on attacks in Karenni and Sagaing.
Six Japanese nationals among 6,000 foreigners held in cyber scams
A Thai non-governmental organization (NGO) called The Civil Society Network for Victim Assistance in Human Trafficking stated in its report on Jan. 7 that more than 6,000 people, including six Japanese nationals, from 21 countries are believed to be held in captivity and forced to carry out cyber scam operations in Karen State.
A representative from the NGO told The Asahi Shimbun newspaper that it is difficult to rescue them because many have had their passports confiscated. “We are in the process of confirming the facts with the local authorities and will respond appropriately from the perspective of protecting Japanese nationals,” said Yoshimasa Hayashi, the chief cabinet secretary at a news conference in Tokyo on Jan. 14.
The NGO report said the 6,000 foreigners held in cyber scam operations include 3,900 China nationals, as well as nationals from Indonesia, the Philippines, Ethiopia and Kenya. Many were lured by fake job offers in Thailand and trafficked across the border into Burma. In Karen State, Chinese crime syndicates coerce the human trafficking victims into carrying out cyber fraud and online scams, the report added.
Central Bank of Myanmar crackdown on currency trading
The Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) announced on Tuesday that it has prosecuted nine individuals and has filed charges against six others for using social media accounts to buy, sell or exchange foreign currency in Burma. The law stipulates that those selling foreign currency without a licence can receive a maximum sentence of up to three years in prison or a fine of an unspecified amount. Assets can also be confiscated.
The CBM stated that they are investigating individuals rumored to be involved in informal money transfers, known as “Hundi” in Burmese. This practice is technically illegal but has been widely used for decades under successive regimes, who have kept firm control of Burma’s banking system. It also reminded family members sending remittances from abroad to nationals inside the country to use regime-run banks.
The CBM announcement coincides with the surge in U.S. dollar prices on the black market, where 1 USD is valued at 4,650 MMK as of Thursday. The country’s economy is torn between the fluctuating black market currency rate, which sometimes changes by the hour, and the official rate set by the regime Customs Department, which values 1 USD at 3,590 MMK for the third week of January.
News by Region

KAREN—Leaders from the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), which was rebranded as the Karen National Army (KNA) last year, and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), met with around 60 business owners to discuss strategies for addressing crime and human trafficking along the Thai-Burma border on Wednesday.
Saw Chit Thu, the BGF/KNA leader, set out rules that all businesses operating in Myawaddy must follow, including reporting on human trafficking networks and cyber scam operations and prohibiting acts of forced or child labour. Any business found violating these rules will be shut down.
Karen ethnic armed groups claimed to have shut down “gambling rings” in Myawaddy on Dec. 30.
KARENNI—Rescue groups told DVB that three civilians, including two internally displaced persons (IDPs), were killed and four others were injured by airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force on a camp for IDPs in Dawsoku village of eastern Demoso Township on Wednesday. Demoso is located 10 miles (16 km) from Loikaw.
“They picked night time [to attack] when people were asleep. So, we are afraid of sleeping when their aircraft flies by. We eat our food while standing and flee to the jungle when we are scared,” a Demoso resident staying at the camp for IDPs told DVB. Airstrikes were also carried out in western Demoso on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.
CHINLAND—The Zomi Federal Union (ZFU) issued a statement on Tuesday asserting that it would not recognize any claims from the regime in Naypyidaw nor the Chinland Council, led by the Chin National Army (CNA), to Tedim Township of northern Chinland. Tedim is located 117 miles north (188 km) of the state capital Hakha.
“The CNA is attempting to use [its allied resistance force] as a proxy to interfere and seize Tedim. The actions of CNA and their affiliates clearly show no consideration for public interest and only seek to exploit our land for profit and political advantage,” stated the ZFU, which is the political wing of the People’s Defence Force-Zoland (PDF-Zoland). Read more.

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