Sexual harassment cases rise in Karenni State
The Karenni National Women’s Organization (KNWO) told DVB that there has benn a reported 56 sexual harassment cases by women at Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps in Karenni State from January to June this year. Karenni State has a population of 200,000 IDPs with 60 percent of them being women and children, according to Karenni Civil Society Network data from 2022.
“Many people in our community believe gender-based violence is less important than the resistance [to the 2021 military coup],” Maw Pray Myar, the KNWO chairperson, told DVB. She added that many abuse survivors were children under the age of 18, claiming that perpetrators included regime troops, as well as members of the People’s Defence Force (PDF), and ethnic armed groups.
The Karenni Interim Executive Council (IEC), a provisional government established by resistance forces in 2023, told DVB that most women in the IDP camps feel insecure due to ongoing fighting between regime and Karenni resistance forces, which have seized Mese, Shadaw and Hpasawng townships. The capital Loikaw, Demoso, Bawlakhe, and Hpruso townships are under regime control.
Myanmar exiled artists to launch video streaming platform
Film director Na Gyi, best known for his award-winning 2021 film What Happened to the Wolf?, told DVB that he is launching a new online video streaming platform called “24 FM” with the motto “Films that fight. Frames that free” under a pay per view model on Oct. 5. The first film to be streamed will be his latest film with tickets available to purchase online on Sept. 15.
Na Gyi told DVB that the initiative is aimed at preserving artistic freedom for filmmakers forced to flee their homes in Burma into exile due to their opposition to the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021 as well as the military conscription law enforced on Feb. 10, 2024. He added that he hopes “24 FM” will create income for filmmakers in exile. “You can create your own authentic work according to your preferences and creativity,” he said.
“Currently, we’re in the content collection phase. Our approach is to create exclusive viewing content on our platform,” said Nyan, the co-founder of 24 FM. The streaming platform’s founder Na Gyi was charged under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code for “incitement” in 2021. In 2023, he established the Artists’ Shelter in Mae Sot, Thailand for filmmakers and artists from Burma operating in exile.
Kachin Independence Army accused of forced recruitment
Residents in Kachin State told DVB that the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has forcefully recruited 100 young males from Hpakant Township since Sept. 9. Hpakant is located 94-158 miles (151-254 km) west and northwest of the state capital Myitkyina and the KIA headquarters of Laiza. Fighting between regime forces and the KIA in Hpakant resumed in June.
“We don’t dare go outside anymore,” a Hpakant resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity, adding that the KIA did not inform residents about its plan to forcefully recruit new members. Naw Bu, the KIA spokesperson, has not yet responded to a DVB request for comment to address allegations of forced recruitment.
Naw Bu told Kachin News Group that the KIA withdrew from the regime’s Tank Battalion 5014 and its Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 236 in Bhamo Township, which it seized in February, on Sept. 11. He claimed that regime forces received reinforcements, including troops, artillery, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), from a Burma Navy fleet that reached Bhamo on Aug. 1. Read more
News by Region
KACHIN—The KIA has been able to throttle the supply of rare earth minerals used in wind turbines and electric vehicles, sending prices of one key element skyward. It is seeking leverage against neighbouring China, which has invested heavily in rare earths mining in Kachin State.
Chinese imports of rare earth oxides and compounds from Burma dropped to 311 metric tons in February, down 89 percent compared to the year-ago period, according to Chinese customs data that hasn’t been previously reported. Most of the fall came after October. Read more
Residents of Hpakant Township told DVB that two civilians were killed and five others were injured during fighting between the KIA and regime forces after it re-captured Sankwal village on Wednesday. Hpakant is located 94-158 miles (151-254 km) west and northwest of Myitkyina and Laiza.
“The military launched a counteroffensive against the KIA [in Kachin State] to expand the territory under its control,” a Hpakant resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Sankwal village is located on the banks of the Uru creek across from Saitaung village, which is held by the KIA.
SAGAING—Residents in Banmauk town told DVB that about 2,000 civlians are trapped due to fighting between the KIA and pro-regime forces, including the Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA), since Monday. Banmauk is located 235 miles (378 km) north of the region’s capital Monywa and 28 miles (45 km) northwest of Indaw, which was seized by the PDF on April 7.
A source close to the PDF told DVB on the condition of anonymity that KIA-led forces had captured an unspecified number of regime outposts within a one-mile (1.6 km) radius of the town since the offensive in Banmauk began on Sept. 15. The source added that most pro-regime troops in Banmauk are composed of SNA members.
TANINTHARYI—Residents of Dawei Township told the Dawei Watch news agency that tight security was imposed by pro-regime forces in the region’s capital during regime leader Min Aung Hlaing’s reported visit to the Dawei Pagoda and the Dawei Computer University on Thursday.
At least two people were killed and four others were injured in 11 villages of Launglon Township by the Burma Air Force when it carried out airstrikes about 32 miles (51 km) southwest of Dawei. Residents told DVB that an unknown number of homes, schools, and monasteries were either damaged or destroyed in the airstrikes.
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