Thirty killed by paramotor attack in Sagaing Region
At least 30 civilians, including children, were killed and 50 others were injured by a motorized paraglider attack carried out by regime forces on Chaung-U Township of Sagaing Region, residents of Monywa District told DVB on Monday – the full moon day of Thadingyut. Chaung-U is located 16 miles (25 km) south of the Sagaing Region capital Monywa.
“I saw body parts [scattered] everywhere,” a Chaung-U resident, who witnessed the attacks, told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Most of the victims lived in Bonto village, according to residents. Two more paramotor strikes were carried out on the village hours after the initial attack, but there were no more casualties, the People’s Defence Force (PDF) told DVB.
A PDF member told DVB that they were helping the 50 injured. Residents added that they were holding a ceremony to mark the full moon day of Thadingyut and a sit-in protest against the military regime before the attacks occurred. Twelve civilians, including two children, and one PDF member were reportedly killed in Chaung-U’s Chaungma and Nwekhway villages during a regime offensive on Feb. 25.
Airstrike destroys monastery in northern Shan State
Residents of Namtu Township in northern Shan State told DVB that a monastery was destroyed by an airstrike carried out by the Burma Air Force on Tuesday. No casualties were reported. At least three civilians were injured by airstrikes on Namtu and Hsipaw on Monday. Namtu, located 41 miles (66 km) northwest of the regional capital Lashio, was seized by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in 2023.
“Monks and half of the residents [had] already fled their homes,” a Namtu resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The TNLA political wing, the Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF), and the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), claimed that the monastery was targeted by regime forces. The TNLA urges residents in territory under its control to be alert for further airstrikes.
The TNLA controls Namtu, Kutkai, Hsipaw, Namhsan, Monglon, Momeik, Manton, Mongngaw and Namhkam townships in northern Shan, as well as Mogok Township in neighbouring Mandalay Region. Regime forces have regained control of Nawngkhio and Kyaukme townships in northern Shan from the TNLA since July 16.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s son Kim Aris visits Italian Senate in Rome
Kim Aris, the son of Burma’s jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, shared on his social media account on Monday that he visited the Italian Senate and met with its President Ignazio La Russa in Rome, Italy, on Oct. 2. Aung San Suu Kyi has been held incommunicado by the regime since the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021. She is serving a 27-year prison sentence in Naypyidaw.
“When my name was mentioned as the son of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, both sides of the Senate — from right and left — stood [up] and applauded,” wrote Aris. He called it a “powerful moment of unity” between Italy and Burma and stated that the call for Aung San Suu Kyi’s release and for a return to democracy in Burma “transcends politics.”
Aris asked for China’s help in securing his mother’s release from prison. He has expressed concerns over Aung San Suu Kyi’s heart condition, which may have worsened during her nearly five years of detention, in an interview with DVB on Sept. 16. Regime spokesperson Zaw Min Tun told pro-regime media on Sept. 6 that Burma’s ousted leader is in “good health,” without providing any evidence or proof of life.
News by Region
NAYPYIDAW—A parliamentary candidate from the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) in Pobbathiri Township, named Hla Swe, criticized the regime Union Election Commission (UEC) on social media for errors on its voter lists in Naypyidaw and requested they be fixed.
“Ward administrators and officials must visit the places where these lists are posted and check carefully,” he wrote on Oct. 5. A USDP member from Zabuthiri Township told DVB that party members are reviewing errors in voter lists. The UEC stated that voter lists can only be checked until Oct. 13. The regime elections are scheduled to begin on Dec. 28.
SAGAING—Residents of Mingin Township told DVB that they staged a second protest on Sunday against the People’s Administration Team (PAT), under the National Unity Government (NUG), for not halting gold mining operations along the Chindwin River. Mingin, located 114 miles (183 km) north of the region’s capital Monywa, is partly controlled by the NUG.
“Are they ignoring our request?” a Mingin resident asked. Residents claimed that their trust in the NUG administration has decreased. The PAT allowed two gold mining sites to begin operating along the Chindwin in 2023. Over 1,000 Mingin residents staged their first protest against the PAT for not halting the gold mining operations on Oct. 2.
TANINTHARYI—The Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM) announced on Tuesday that Aung Ko Oo, 48, died from diabetes, as well as heart and kidney disease, in Dawei Prison on Oct. 3. A total of 19 political prisoners have died due to lack of adequate medical treatment so far this year, according to the PPNM.
“He died because of inadequate medical support inside prison,” PPNM stated. Aung Ko Oo was serving eight years for violating Section 505(a) of the Penal Code and the Explosive Substances Act. He was arrested on May 14, 2021 during anti-coup protests. To see Aung Ko Oo’s photo, go to DVB English News Facebook.
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