Thai court issues arrest warrant for Myanmar migrant leader
A court in Thailand’s Kanchanaburi province issued an arrest warrant for Myanmar migrant leader Suraj Giri, also known as Veera Saengthong, on Monday over allegations of unlawfully obtaining a Thai birth certificate with false documents.
A local registration office in Kanchanaburi revoked Giri’s Thai birth certificate on Nov. 6 alleging that he “presented false evidence to unlawfully obtain an entry in a household registration or other civil registration document.”
Thai media reported that Giri holds a 10-year identity card issued by Thailand’s Ministry of Interior to eligible non-Thai residents, including members of recognized ethnic minority groups, long-settled border communities, and stateless people.
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US to invest in Myanmar rare earths despite China’s control
The U.S. State Department outlined a plan to expand influence in Burma and potentially gain access to its rare-earth deposits in northern Kachin State, which was outlined in a strategy document released last week after secretive talks with regime officials.
“Ultimately, the United States should treat Myanmar as a critical minerals priority, not simply a diplomatic challenge,” Washington lobbying firm DCI Group stated in a newsletter on Nov. 9 published on behalf of the regime’s Ministry of Information.
After the 2021 military coup, Washington froze the regime in Naypyidaw’s assets at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and imposed sanctions in a bid to isolate the generals, until it reversed course by holding direct talks in September.
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Charles Santiago slams Malaysia for hosting Min Aung Hlaing
Former Malaysian lawmaker and co-chair of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), Charles Santiago, expressed “total disgust” over Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s decision to roll out the red carpet for Burma’s regime leader Min Aung Hlaing during his visit last month.
Santiago warned that high-level engagement with the regime—alongside the forced repatriation of thousands of asylum seekers—violates international law, undermines the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Five-Point Consensus, and directly betrays Burma’s democratic aspirations.
Santiago described the spectacle of ASEAN leaders legitimizing Min Aung Hlaing as an alarming break between collective regional policy and bilateral opportunism. Watch the Newsroom interview with Charles Santiago on DVB English News YouTube or Spotify. Listen on Apple, or wherever you get podcasts.
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News by Region
CHIN/MAGWAY—Shweaungtha village in Htilin Township was recaptured by regime forces on Saturday, as a months-long counteroffensive into southern Chin State continues. Htilin sits along the strategic Magway-Chin transit corridor, roughly 179 miles (288 km) northwest of Magway.
A military defector, who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) after the 2021 coup, told DVB that the recapture of the village restored regime control over Gangaw, Htilin and Saw townships, collectively known as the “Yaw region,” located 130-221 miles (209-355 km) north of Magway. Read the full article on our website
NAYPYIDAW—The regime’s Ministry of Information (MOI) reported on Monday that residents in Bago Region and Mon State provided information that led to the seizure of 11 outposts belonging to the National Unity Government (NUG) and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA).
It added that an unknown number of KNLA bases in Mon’s Kyaikto Township and the NUG “Special Division Command,” located in Bago’s Shwekyin Township, were seized by the military. The KNLA and the People’s Defence Force (PDF) were accused of forced recruitment, extortion, and carrying out extrajudicial killings.
SAGAING—Farmers in Shwebo District blamed taxation at 12 separate checkpoints for rising fertilizer costs over the last 12 months. Shwebo, located 61 miles (98 km) northeast of the region’s capital Monywa, has been partially controlled by resistance forces, including the PDF, since 2023.
A farmer in Wetlet Township, located 50 miles (80 km) east of Monywa, told DVB that the price of fertilizer rose by 30,000 MMK ($6.38 USD) over the last year. The PDF in Wetlet told DVB that only two official checkpoints collect taxes of 500-1,000 MMK ($0.10-0.21 USD) per bag of fertilizer.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,760 MMK)
