Regime plans to retake four towns in Rakhine State
Sources in Arakan State told DVB that the regime is planning to launch a counteroffensive to retake Ann, Taungup, Thandwe and Gwa townships from the Arakan Army (AA) ahead of the general elections scheduled to begin on Dec. 28. The four towns are located 198-584 miles (318-939 km) south of the Arakan State capital Sittwe. They were seized by the AA in 2024 following the launch of its statewide offensive on Nov. 13, 2023.
“The regime is planning to recapture these four townships by October,” a military source told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The Union Election Commission (UEC) announced that elections cannot be held in townships under AA control, including Ramree, Pauktaw, Ponnagyun, Rathedaung, Buthidaung, Maungdaw, Kyauktaw, Minbya, Myebon, and Mrauk-U. The regime controls Sittwe, Kyaukphyu and Manaung.
The Rakhine State National United Party, the Arakan Front Party (AFP), the Rakhine Nationalities Party, the Kha Mee National Development Party, and the Mro National Development Party have all registered to contest the regime elections in Arakan, according to the UEC. Khaing Thukha, the AA spokesperson, said it rejects the regime elections. Naypyidaw branded the AA a “terrorist” group last year.
Military crony to helm rebranded Ooredoo Myanmar telco
Telecommunications industry insiders in Yangon Region told DVB on the condition of anonymity that Jonathan Myo Kyaw Thaung, a tycoon with reported ties to the regime in Naypyidaw, is the new owner of Ooredoo Myanmar which will be rebranded as “U9” on Sept. 20. The whistleblower group Justice for Myanmar accused his company, KT Services & Logistics, of helping the military acquire Eurocopter and Fokker aircraft.
“Every high-profile businessman knows Jonathan Myo Kyaw Thaung is the true owner [of U9],” a source told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The Qatar-based Ooredoo sold its operations in Burma to the Singapore-based Nine Communications at $578 million USD on Sept. 8, 2022. Ooredoo stated publicly that the ownership of Nine Communications is jointly held by a man named Nyan Win and Link Family Office.
The U.S. Treasury Department lifted sanctions on Jonathan Myo Kyaw Thaung, along with three other businesspeople from Burma on July 24. Media reported that the Norwegian company Telenor sold its stake in Telenor Myanmar to the military-backed Shwe Byain Phyu company in 2022. Both Ooredoo and Telenor received their licences in 2014. DVB could not independently verify the purchase of Ooredoo Myanmar.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s son meets with two Myanmar resistance leaders
Kim Aris, the son of jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, held a virtual meeting with National Unity Government (NUG) Acting President Duwa Lashi La on Sunday. This followed an online meeting with AA Commander-in-Chief Twan Mrat Naing on Sept. 6.
“Only through solidarity can we achieve freedom, dignity and justice for all,” Kim Aris shared on social media, following his meeting with the NUG on Sept. 14. Aris discussed with the two resistance leaders the urgent need for humanitarian assistance to civilians impacted by the conflict, which has engulfed Myanmar since the uprising to the 2021 military coup began.
He also called for more accountable leadership in the NUG and the AA, as calls for reform in the resistance by pro-democracy leaders have increased. Aris issued an urgent appeal on Sept. 4 following reports that his mother’s health has deteriorated significantly while in detention, where she’s been held incommunicado since the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021. Read more
News by Region
ARAKAN—Islamic religious leaders in Mrauk-U Township told DVB that they are enjoying “more religious freedom” in territory under AA control. Mrauk-U, located 88 miles (142 km) northeast of the state capital Sittwe, was seized by the AA in February 2024. The AA has seized 14 out of Arakan’s 17 townships since it launched an offensive on Nov. 13, 2023.
“[It] permits the building of new mosques,” a Muslim cleric in Mrauk-U told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The AA Commander-in-chief Twan Mrat Naing met with the Muslim community in Maungdaw Township on Aug. 30. He personally approved the reopening of the Jarma Central Mosque, which had been closed since 2012. Read more
SHAN—The Southern Shan State Traditional Hot-Air Balloon Professionals Association announced that this year’s Tazaungdaing Hot-Air Balloon Festival will take place over eight days at the Aweiya compound in the state capital Taunggyi from Oct. 29 to Nov. 5.
“We arranged tight security and hope that there will be more visitors this year,” a member of the association told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The annual festival resumed in 2023 after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic and 2021 coup. Over 100 hot-air balloons participated last year.
YANGON—The Solidarity Trade Union of Myanmar (STUM) told DVB that its founder Myo Myo Aye, her daughter, and eight other members appeared in court to face additional charges under Section 40 and 41 of the Organization Registration Law on Monday. The 10 are also facing charges under the Law Concerning Recidivism.
“I hope they will be released as soon as possible,” a source close to the STUM told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Myo Myo Aye was arrested at her home in Shwepyitha Township on July 25. Her daughter and eight other STUM members were arrested on July 21. If convicted, they face five years in prison, a fine not exceeding K5 million ($1,172 USD), or both.
A resistance group calling itself the “Freeland Attack Force” claimed that it planted a bomb outside of Yangon City Hall, where military personnel were deployed, in Kyauktada Township on Tuesday. No casualties were reported. “The bomb exploded in the early morning,” a resident who lives near the City Hall told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
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