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Regional bloc discusses Myanmar crisis at summit; Former Thai diplomat calls for engagement with NUG

Regional bloc discusses Myanmar crisis at summit

Foreign ministers and delegates from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathered in Vientiane, Laos on Wednesday to discuss Burma’s crisis, as well as other regional issues. The military regime sent its Ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Aung Kyaw Moe to the meeting.

“ASEAN now needs to prepare for a situation in which the regime is chronically weak. China and now India have been adjusting their policies to the reality of a Myanmar regime that does not control most of its borders,” Richard Horsey, the senior Myanmar advisor at Crisis Group, told DVB. “ASEAN needs a policy approach that is fit for such a context.”

Violence has continued to escalate since regime leader Min Aung Hlaing agreed to the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus in 2021, which calls for an immediate end to violence and for all sides to engage in dialogue. Officials from China, the U.S. and Russia are also attending the ASEAN summit, including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He is expected to call for greater pressure on Naypyidaw during the meeting.

Former Thai diplomat calls for engagement with NUG

One of Thailand’s former Foreign Ministers, Kasit Piromya, criticized ASEAN as it held its Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane, Laos on Tuesday. He said that ASEAN must engage with all sides in Burma, including the civilian-led National Unity Government (NUG), instead of only the military regime in Naypyidaw.

“There has been reluctance on the part of the ASEAN leadership to speak to the democratic forces of Myanmar,” said Piromya, who’s also a board member for the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR). “There has been a sort of unbalanced approach and that gives a lot of leeway to Min Aung Hlaing to do whatever he likes. It’s a disgrace.” 

Piromya added that ASEAN must respect the aspirations of the people of Burma, including ethnic nationalities, and help return the country to a democratic government. But not one run by the military, as the regime has tentatively scheduled to hold elections in November 2025. Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Nikorndej Balangura announced that Bangkok plans to host a regional consultation on Burma’s crisis in December.

Wikimedia Foundation grants Knowledge Equity Fund to DVB

DVB is the latest grantee of the Wikimedia Foundation Knowledge Equity Fund for its work “to support groups who are creating and sharing knowledge with populations left out of mainstream knowledge structures.” The Knowledge Equity Fund was established in 2021 to support racial equity initiatives and further free knowledge globally.

“We will use this grant to run training for our journalists and increase capacity building, and further maximize our audience reach through satellite TV, social media, and websites. We hope that the expansion and exposure will result in more openly-available, accurate, and creative content around people and issues of Burma,“ said DVB Chief Editor Aye Chan Naing.

DVB was selected out of a handful of the most impactful grantee applicants and will receive funds to support our work inside Burma, which has been in crisis since the 2021 military coup led to a nationwide uprising. Seven journalists have so far been killed, including DVB Citizen Journalist (CJ) Win Htut Oo, and 170 remain in prison. 

News by Region

Residents of Tinteinyan village in Ye-U Township, Sagaing Region, inspect the aftermath of an airstrike that killed three civilians on Oct. 8. (Credit: CJ)

SAGAING–A mother and her two children were killed during an airstrike conducted by the Burma Air Force on Tinteinyan village in Ye-U Township, located around 56 miles (90 km) north of the Sagaing Region capital Monywa, on Tuesday. 

“The family inside the house was killed and two houses were destroyed,” a Tinteinyan villager told DVB. A People’s Defense Force (PDF) member told DVB that they frequently visit the village to buy goods. Four civilians were also killed during an airstrike in Ye-U last month.

The Sagaing PDF claimed on Wednesday that it has confiscated more than 400 weapons and heroin from a police station and military outposts after it seized full control of Pinlebu town, located around 216 miles (348 km) north of Monywa, on Tuesday

“We discovered narcotics inside the police station while we were clearing the areas,” a Sagaing PDF spokesperson told DVB. It also claimed that nearly 3,000 bombs were dropped during retaliatory airstrikes carried out by the Air Force on Pinlebu since Sept. 15.

MANDALAY—A civilian was killed during a retaliatory airstrike on Kyaukkan village in Myingyan Township, located around 66 miles (106 km) southwest of Mandalay, on Tuesday. It occurred after the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) seized control of the village, which was occupied by the pro-military Pyusawhti militia.

“The fighting began early in the morning and ended by noon when the military’s fighter jet arrived,” a PLA spokesperson told DVB. He added that another resident was arrested and killed by the military in a nearby village.

MAGWAY—The PDF claimed that it has cleared more than 180 landmines and other unexploded ordnances planted by the military on roads and lampposts in Salin Township, located around 46 miles (74 km) northwest of the Magway Region capital, as of Oct. 8. 

“It is very dangerous for civilians who are unfamiliar with these explosives,” a PDF spokesperson told DVB. Salin residents said that the military planted them on Oct. 4 after PDFs destroyed lampposts near munitions factories.

MON—A woman was injured after unknown assailants opened fire on a highway bus driving on the Ye-Thanbyuzayat road in Thanbyuzayat Township, located around 40 miles (64 km) south of the Mon State capital Mawlamyine, on Monday. 

“She is from Yangon and was injured in her thigh but not in critical condition,” a bus company employee told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Pro-military social media channels accused “terrorists” of firing on the bus after it failed to stop for an inspection.

Read: Residents of Thai-Myanmar border town complain about rising prices due to Chinese workers.

Record flooding in Chiang Mai impacts Myanmar migrant community. DVB English News was there. We’re on X, FB, Instagram, Threads & TikTok. Subscribe to us on YouTube.

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