Regime forces retake control of Asia Highway in Karen State
Regime media reported on Sunday that the military killed 63 “terrorists” during fighting with the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) over control of the Asia Highway connecting Kawkareik town, Thingan Nyinaung village, and Myawaddy town in Karen State on Saturday. The number of regime casualties was not disclosed. The three settlements are located 56-81 miles (90-130 km) east of the Karen State capital Hpa-An.
A KNLA source told DVB on the condition of anonymity that its forces had withdrawn from Nohphoe and Hteemuhta villages, located in the Thingan Nyinaung village-tract, but surrounded regime troops. He added that the regime’s Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 275 received support from the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF). The KNLA told local media that its withdrawal was only “temporary” to flee airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force.
Fighting between the KNLA and regime forces was reported in Kawkareik and Kyondoe townships, 27-41 miles (43-66 km) west of Myawaddy, on Sept. 6. The KNLA has seized control of at least 200 regime outposts across its territories since the 2021 military coup, according to the Institute for Strategy and Policy (ISP-Myanmar). Read more
Aung San Suu Kyi facing heart problems, says son Kim Aris
Aung San Suu Kyi’s son, Kim Aris, has issued an urgent appeal following unverified reports that his mother’s health has deteriorated significantly while in detention, where she’s been held since the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021. Suu Kyi turned 80 in June and continues to be held in an undisclosed location by the military regime, which seized power during the 2021 coup.
“It is deeply distressing to have heard my mother’s health has taken a turn for the worse. She has had ongoing heart complications which have undoubtedly been exacerbated by the conditions under which she is being held. She needs to see, and has asked to see, a cardiologist from outside the prison. I have no way of knowing if this has been granted. This is cruel and life-threatening for her,” said Aris in a press release on Sept. 4.
Suu Kyi’s prolonged detention over the last four-and-a-half years without access to a fair trial or access to adequate medical treatment constitutes a violation of human rights and international norms, according to Aris. He called on the international community to demand immediate proof of life, medical access, and the unconditional release of his jailed mother. Read more
Naypyidaw denies Aung San Suu Kyi’s poor health
Regime spokesperson Zaw Min Tun told pro-military media on Saturday that Aung San Suu Kyi was “doing well” despite her son’s publicized concerns regarding her deteriorating health conditions. The U.K.-based The Independent newspaper first reported on Sept. 4 that the jailed State Counsellor was suffering from a worsening heart condition.
“This fake news is aimed to tarnish the Myanmar leader’s trip to China and his activities,” Zaw Min Tun said in response to a question from a reporter from a pro-regime media outlet at the Naypyidaw Airport on Sept. 6. He added that those “with ill will toward Burma” were behind the report, but their efforts would not succeed.
Regime leader Min Aung Hlaing attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1. He met with China’s President Xi Jinping and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss support for the regime elections scheduled to begin on Dec. 28. He was also seeking for Burma to become a full SCO member nation. Min Aung Hlaing returned to Burma from China on Sept. 6.
News by Region
BAGO—The regime’s Department of Meteorology and Hydrology reported that a 4.9 magnitude earthquake struck the location nine miles (14 km) west-southwest of Yedashe Township on Sunday. It was the 229th aftershock since the March 28 earthquake.
Yedashe is located 141 miles (227 km) north of the region’s capital Bago. A resident in Bago shared on social media that the tremor lasted for four seconds. Local media reported that the quake was also felt in Naypyidaw, located 56 miles (90 km) north of Yedashe.
MON—Aid workers in Kyaikmaraw Township told DVB that six passengers in a vehicle were killed and six others were injured when an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), or drone, struck it at a checkpoint controlled by the KNLA on Sept. 2.
“Resistance members tried to stop vehicles when they spotted a drone in the sky. But this car [didn’t stop],” an aid worker with knowledge of the attack told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Kyaikmaraw is located 11 miles (17 km) south of the state capital Mawlamyine. Read more
KAREN—The pro-regime Karen BGF announced on Sept. 3 that it would assist with the regime elections scheduled to begin in 102 out of Burma’s 330 constituencies on Dec. 28. Naing Maung Zaw, the BGF spokesperson, told DVB that elections would put an end to the “authoritarian system.”
The Karen National Union (KNU) called on citizens to boycott elections. The BGF has an estimated 7,000 troops in 13 battalions: four in Hlaingbwe Township, two in Hpapun Township, two in Kyainseikgyi Township, and five in Myawaddy. It controls territory consisting of four “military regions.”
SHAN—The United Wa State Army (UWSA) advised all residents of Hopang and Panlong towns, located in eastern Shan, against campaigning for the regime elections. Sources told DVB that the regime sought help from the UWSA to hold elections in northern and eastern Shan during a meeting on Aug. 6.
The Brotherhood Alliance–consisting of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and the Arakan Army (AA)–handed over Hopang and neighbouring Panlong to the UWSA on Jan. 10. Hopang is located 92 miles (148 km) east of Lashio.
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