Thailand orders United Wa State Army to withdraw from border
The Thai military ordered the United Wa State Army (UWSA) to withdraw from nine camps it claimed are located in northern Thailand’s Mae Hong Son Province near the Burma border by Dec. 18. Thai media reported that the UWSA is refusing to comply. Thai artillery units are on standby to strike UWSA positions.
Nyi Rang, the UWSA spokesperson, confirmed the orders to withdraw from the Thai military were received. “This is an issue that must be discussed between the leaders of the two countries [Burma and Thailand],” he told Wa News Land, a media agency affiliated with the UWSA. “We learned that the Thai side has increased its forces. But for us, we are continuing to operate normally,” he added.
The UWSA administers Wa State – officially known as the Wa Self-Administered Division – an autonomous territory that exists along Burma’s borders with China and Thailand. The UWSA rejected a request in June 2023 to abandon its bases in Shan State near the Thai border. It claims that these bases are vital in safeguarding territory under UWSA control in Burma.
Foreign nationals flee cyber scams in Karen State
Thirty-nine foreign nationals who crossed the border into Thailand’s Tak Province claimed that they were forced to work at cyber scam centers in Myawaddy Township of Karen State along the Burma-Thai border, AFP reported. The 39 included Sri Lankans, Malaysians, Nepalese and Russians. All were reportedly rescued by the Thai military.
The vital border trade town of Myawaddy is administered by the pro-regime Karen Border Guard Force (BGF/KNA), which has rebranded itself as the Karen National Army. Local media reported that the 39 foreign nationals were trafficked into Burma from Thailand after accepting job offers online. They told Thai police that they were forced to work for a Chinese cyber scam center in Myawaddy, which is adjacent to Thailand’s Mae Sot.
The Institute for Strategy and Policy – Myanmar (ISP Myanmar) has documented that there are nearly 50 cyber scam compounds operating along the Burma-Thai border, including at least 25 in Myawaddy alone. Over 120,000 people in Burma may be forced to carry out online scams, according to the U.N.
Brotherhood Alliance member ready for peace talks
The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) announced on Monday that it is ready to hold talks with the military regime in Naypyidaw to end fighting that has been ongoing in northern Shan State since the Brotherhood Alliance launched Operation 1027 on Oct. 27, 2023. The Brotherhood Alliance includes the TNLA, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the Arakan Army (AA).
“We are ready to meet and discuss to end the conflict from both sides,” stated the TNLA on Nov. 25. It highlighted the devastating impact of airstrikes on civilians in areas under its control. The TNLA added that it reserves the “right to defend itself” from attacks by the military but that it supports efforts by China to mediate an end to Burma’s crisis since the 2021 military coup.
The TNLA has seized control of 14 towns since the start of Operation 1027, including all of the Palaung (Ta’ang) Self-Administered Zone of northern Shan State. The MNDAA released a statement in September expressing its willingness to participate in talks with Naypyidaw. Beijing sent a letter demanding the TNLA cease its offensive against the military on Aug. 29.
News by Region
MANDALAY—The Mandalay People’s Defense Force (MPDF) stated on Monday that it has restricted travel on roads in areas under its control in Singu, Thabeikkyin and Madaya townships due to the military’s ongoing counteroffensive in the region. The restrictions took effect on Tuesday.
“We don’t want people who are traveling in those areas to get hurt. We will reopen them again once the situation becomes stable,” an MPDF spokesperson told DVB. It added that it will conduct strict inspections of vehicles carrying goods into its territory. Earlier this month, the military launched offensives against resistance-controlled areas of Mandalay Region.
KARENNI—Khun Bedu, the vice-chair of the Karenni State Interim Executive Council (IEC), called for an end violence against women and children in Karenni State to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls on Monday.
“Many lives have been lost due to the regime’s retaliatory airstrikes. Women and children have experienced mental and social problems from this violence,” he said. More than 300,000 people have been displaced due to fighting with the military in Karenni State. At least 650 children have been either killed or injured this year in Burma, according to the U.N.
SHAN—The Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) claimed that the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) killed a village head during raids on two SSPP camps near Panpwe village of Mongkung Township, located 120 miles (193 km) northeast of the Shan State capital Taunggyi, on Monday. Seven SSPP soldiers and a civilian were also allegedly arrested.
The SSPP claimed that RCSS troops stole valuables and set fire to the home of the village head after killing him. The two Shan armed groups signed a ceasefire agreement on Nov. 29, 2023, but fighting has continued. In July, the SSPP and the RCSS injured four civilians during fighting in Lawksawk (Yaksawk) Township, located 42 miles (67 km) north of Taunggyi.
SAGING—The military has been posting signboards calling for People’s Defense Force (PDF) members to defect to the regime in villages of Sagaing and Chaung-U townships since Sunday. Sagaing town is 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Mandalay. Chaung-U is 53 miles (85 km) west of Sagaing town.
“It’s just a theatrical performance by the military to call for PDF [members] to [defect]. The military is destroying people’s lives, livelihoods, and properties,” a People’s Defense Force (PDF) spokesperson in Monywa Township told DVB. The Myanmar Policy Institute (MPI) estimates that there are 100 PDF units operating in Sagaing Region since the 2021 coup. Not all PDFs under the command of the National Unity Government (NUG), added MPI.
