FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM
Regime touts new electoral system
Min Aung Hlaing claimed that the military’s planned election will be conducted under a mixed First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) and Proportional Representation (PR) electoral system. He made the remarks at an Armed Forces Day event in Naypyidaw on Wednesday.
“We are implementing an integrated management system to administer both the FPTP and PR electoral systems,” he said. Under a FPTP system, the candidate with the plurality of votes wins an election while under a PR system, parliamentary seats are awarded based on the proportion of the vote a political party receives nationwide.
Min Aung Hlaing didn’t announce a date for his planned election, but he accused resistance forces of trying to sabotage it. The military’s Armed Forces Day parade in Naypyidaw on March 27 was scaled back compared to previous years.
Nearly 100 Rohingya military conscripts killed
The President of the Burmese Rohingya Organization UK (BROUK) Tun Khin told DVB that hundreds of Rohingya in Arakan State have been forcibly recruited by the military. He claimed that at least 97 Rohingya conscripts have been killed during fighting with the Arakan Army (AA) so far.
“This is the latest brutal divide and rule tactic of the regime, with the Rohingya as the victims yet again. This is a new level of dehumanization by the regime to forcibly take our young men, put them in military uniform and use them as human shields,” said Tun Khin.
In 2021, Tun Khin filed a case against the military on allegations of genocide under universal jurisdiction in an Argentine court. A 2017 military operation in northern Arakan State forced over 700,000 Rohingya to flee into Bangladesh. The U.S. labeled it a genocide in 2022.
Thai fighter jets conducted reconnaissance flights along border
The Royal Thai Air Force announced that two of its fighter jets conducted reconnaissance flights along the Thai-Burma border on Wednesday. It came after military aircraft from Burma reportedly flew into Thai airspace multiple times.
The Royal Thai Force publicized the operation on social media to keep Thai citizens informed. Fighting between the Burma Army and Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) has been occurring along the Thai-Burma border. The KNLA has seized several military bases.
News by Region
MON—Kyaikmaraw residents said that many fled after nearly 100 homes in Dhammasa village were destroyed by drone strikes carried out by the Burma Army on Wednesday. “None of the fire trucks from Mawlamyine and nearby villages were allowed to enter the village as the military blocked all roads. They also didn’t allow the vehicles of local rescue groups to pass through gates,” said a rescue worker.
The military conducted retaliatory airstrikes and artillery attacks on ethnic Mon villages after resistance forces seized Kawtbein police station, which is located between Kyaikmaraw and Kawkareik Township, in Karen State, on Monday.
NAYPYIDAW—The Passport Office announced that applicants will be required to present a Unique Identification (UID) number for passport issuance starting from April 22. This 10-digit UID number, part of the regime’s electronic-ID project, is found on a smart card and includes personal information.
Obtaining a UID number increases the costs of applying for a passport. The cost to pay brokers to expedite passports has recently surged despite the regime’s attempts to crack down on exorbitant fees. Since 2021, the regime has imposed restrictions on the issuing of passports, leading to a backlog of applications. The Yangon passport office is processing around 2,700 applications daily and offices in other cities are operating at a limited capacity.
YANGON—Three people are in critical condition at Yangon General Hospital, with one reportedly losing a leg, in an explosion on Sule Road in Kyauktada Township on Wednesday. “A bomb detonated near the Sule flyover. All injured people were young men aged 12-18. They are beggars and collect trash cans near the flyover,” said a rescue team member. Reports suggest the victims accidentally touched a plastic bag containing explosives. The Burma Army said it inspected the area after the explosion.
KAREN—The Kawthoolei Army (KTLA) launched an attack on a Burma Army base in Hteekapale, Kawkareik Township, on March 12. Resistance groups have made advances but the military retains control of the Wawlay tactical hill.
The Commander of the KTLA Special Commando Battalion Sa Lone told DVB that the Burma Army has suffered casualties during the fighting. The KNLA and a breakaway faction of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) are reportedly fighting alongside the KTLA.
Thai authorities repatriated 70 ethnic Karen who had fled to escape fighting in Karen State from Thailand’s Tak Province back into Burma on Wednesday. The Thai officials claimed there was no ongoing fighting in their villages and that they will be allowed to settle at a temporary evacuation center on the Thai side of the border if fighting returns.
