Three civilians killed by airstrikes in Sagaing Region
At least three civilians were killed during retaliatory airstrikes conducted by the Burma Air Force on Pale Township in Sagaing Region since Monday. Resistance forces led by the Burma National Revolutionary Army (BNRA) launched an offensive on military positions in Pale, located around 35 miles (56 km) southwest of the Sagaing Region capital Monywa, on Nov. 11.
“More than 15 aircraft conducted airstrikes, firing with different kinds of weapons. The aircraft circled the town and fired on homes. The number of civilian deaths may be higher due to those attacks,” a spokesperson from a resistance group calling itself the Black Leopard Army told DVB. An unknown number of homes and religious buildings were destroyed, according to Pale residents.
A spokesperson of the Pale People’s Administration, which is affiliated with the National Unity Government (NUG), said that more than 300 civilians trapped in the town were rescued by resistance forces. Pro-military social media accounts on Telegram claimed that the BNRA controls the town and called for airstrikes to destroy Pale. A DVB investigation into Telegram uncovered evidence that the military launched attacks in response to calls for violence on the platform.
Labor unions want garment sourcing stopped in Myanmar
The Switzerland-based IndustriALL Global Union and two banned unions in Burma filed complaints against the clothing brands Next, New Yorker and LPP over their alleged sourcing of garments from Burma since the 2021 military coup. The unions accused the companies of violating international guidelines for responsible business conduct.
“Brands that stay in Myanmar are benefiting from an environment of fear, forced labor, and exploitation,” said Atle Hoie, the IndustriALL general secretary, in a statement issued by the unions this week. “There are widespread, comprehensive reports on the extensive violations of workers’ rights,” he added.
The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) recorded 155 cases of abuse against garment workers in factories nationwide in Burma from December 2023 up to June 30. International fashion brands were linked to the highest number of abuse allegations over this period at factories they reportedly source from, or have recently sourced from.
Cyber scams increasingly targeting Western countries
Jason Tower, the director for the United States Institute for Peace (USIP), told DVB that cyber scam syndicates in Burma have increasingly started to target citizens of countries such as the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and Australia over the past year, This follows crackdowns on their operations near the Burma-China border in February.
“They’re targeting high income countries, but then also they’re targeting countries where demographics align such that the scam compounds would have an advantage in targeting that particular market,” added Tower. “The U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, parts of Europe, are all reporting growing numbers of victims.”
Tower stated that Beijing’s increasing surveillance of its nationals have made it more difficult for cyber scam syndicates to target Chinese citizens. Cyber scam compounds have expanded into new areas of Shan and Karen states in recent months. The U.N. has documented that at least 120,000 people have been trafficked into Burma and may be held in areas where they are forced to carry out online scams.
News by Region
SHAN—Residents of the Shan State capital Taunggyi told DVB that the Tazaungdaing Festival venue is over capacity this year. Organizers stated that Tazaungdaing will feature 250 hot-air balloons, as well as many celebrity performers, from N0v. 11-17.
“The event is incredibly packed. You can’t even push your way in—it’s so crowded that it’s hard to breathe. The grounds are huge, yet every path leading in and out, and every corner of the grounds, is packed,” a Tazaungdaing attendee told DVB. The festival was delayed this year due to poor weather conditions.
MANDALAY—Bo Bo Nge, the jailed vice-chair of the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM), received medical treatment at Mandalay Hospital on Tuesday. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison under the Anti-Corruption Law on Dec. 13, 2022 and has been held at Obo prison ever since.
“They [military] transferred him back to prison after he received treatment,” a source from the hospital told DVB on the condition of anonymity. A source close to the prison said he has been suffering from inflammatory bowel disease. The National League for Democracy (NLD) government appointed Bo Bo Nge as CBM vice-chair in July 2017. He was arrested by the military after the 2021 coup.
SAGAING—The Yinmabin District Court sentenced the NLD Secretary of Salingyi Township, Win Khaing, to 13 years in prison on Wednesday. He was convicted under the Counter-Terrorism Law on Feb. 1, 2022. He has been held at Monywa Prison, where there were reports he had been injured during interrogation.
“We have no idea for his wife and three kids where to go as his house was sealed off [by the regime],” an NLD party member from Salingyi told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Win Khaing, 59, has been suffering from diabetes and heart disease. Not to be confused with Win Khaing, 74, the NLD minister who died on Nov. 8.
YANGON—Two resistance groups claimed that they attacked a police station in Shwepyitha Township with hand grenades on Wednesday. Shwepyitha residents reported to have heard explosions coming from inside the police station.
“We threw grenades and we have been informed that most [police officers] were injured,” a spokesperson of a resistance group calling itself Operation Flame, which claimed it took part in the attack, told DVB. Shwepyitha residents accuse police officers from the station of arresting motorists and assisting the regime to enforce its conscription law.
