Thailand urges ‘calibrated re-engagement’ with Myanmar
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul called for a “calibrated re-engagement” strategy with Burma during a policy address at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Tuesday–two days ahead of a visit to the Thai capital Bangkok by Burma’s regime leader Min Aung Hlaing, who was inaugurated president by a pro-military parliament on April 10
Addressing the media following a meeting with the ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Anutin argued that the regional bloc must balance its core principles with pragmatic diplomacy to resolve Burma’s crisis since the 2021 coup.
“Thailand has advocated a calibrated re-engagement approach that keeps dialogue open and responds to realities on the ground while encouraging concrete progress,” said Anutin Charnvirakul in the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Aug. 4, adding that the ASEAN principle of non-interference must be applied along with the Five-Point Consensus, the bloc’s peace plan for Burma. Read more on our website
A Rohingya activist’s fight against hate speech in Kuala Lumpur
When Pacifist Farooq fled the Myanmar military’s genocidal campaign in 2016, he hoped to find safety in Bangladesh. Years later, after surviving targeted violence in refugee camps, he sought sanctuary in Malaysia. Today, the Rohingya teacher and activist finds himself fighting a different kind of war: an escalating wave of online hate speech, media misrepresentation, and xenophobia.
“We are fleeing genocide,” Farooq says. “We are not coming here to take over jobs, or to take land, or for citizenship. We are here just to survive and stay safe.” Farooq was born and raised in Buthidaung, in northern Rakhine State. After passing his matriculation exams in 2016, he worked as a school teacher.
However, the Myanmar military’s brutal genocidal offensive against the Rohingya forced him to escape across the border to Bangladesh. For five years, Farooq lived in the overcrowded refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar. But safety proved elusive. As armed Rohingya factions began forcibly recruiting young men in the camps, Farooq spoke out against the violence. Read more on our website
Malaysia ‘forcibly returning’ Myanmar refugees, says HRW
Human Rights Watch called on the Malaysian government to reverse plans that would permit the forced return of refugees to Burma, where they face persecution and other rights abuses. On July 23, Malaysia stated that 5,000 Burma nationals in immigration detention would be sent back. On July 29, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that Burma authorities had agreed to take back 5,000 ethnic Rohingya.
“Malaysia has for many years hosted refugees from Myanmar who have fled unending oppression and atrocities by the Myanmar military,” said Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The Malaysian government should show regional leadership in responding to the crisis in Myanmar rather than forcibly returning people who are the targets of the junta’s brutality.”
There are no authoritative figures on the number of Myanmar migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in Malaysia. More than 215,000 refugees and asylum seekers are registered with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Malaysia, about 194,000 of them from Burma, including 126,000 ethnic Rohingya. Read more on our website
News by Region
ARAKAN—Dozens of airstrikes were carried out by an unknown number of Burma Air Force jets on Mrauk-U Township on Tuesday, residents told DVB. Mrauk-U, located 88 miles (141 km) northeast of the state capital Sittwe, was seized by the Arakan Army (AA) in February 2024.
“We have nowhere to hide,” Khin Maung San, a Mrauk-U resident, told DVB, adding that regime airstrikes began on Aug. 4. No casualties have been reported. Airstrikes targeted the outpost of the regime’s Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 540, which was seized by the AA in January 2024. Read more on our website
KACHIN—More than 100 households in Hpakant Township’s Hparpyin Village have been flooded forcing an unknown number of residents to relocate due to water leaking from nearby abandoned jade mining pits since early July, according to local sources.
Residents told DVB that the pits left behind by jade mining operations have been filled with rainwater since early July. Hpakant is located 94 miles (151 km) northwest of the state capital Myitkyina. Hparpyin village is separated from the pits by a 20-foot-high earthen embankment. Read more on our website
KARENNI—Five civilians, including a six-month-old child, were killed and two other civilians were injured in Hpruso Township by airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force on Tuesday. Hpruso, located 22 miles (35 km) south of the state capital Loikaw, is under regime control.
A Hpruso resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity that airstrikes have continued since the military regained control of the 40 mile (64 km) long Demoso-Hpruso-Bawlakhe road in February. At least 880 civilians have been killed by regime forces since 2021, according to the Progressive Karenni People Force (PKPF).
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