UN Secretary-General on Myanmar at ASEAN Summit in Malaysia
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said that the 2021 military takeover in Burma had not only “piled calamity upon calamity” but that it also threatened regional stability during a press conference on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 47th summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Monday.
Guterres added that the regime in Naypyidaw must put an end to the “deplorable” violence inflicted on the nation’s 54 million citizens since the 2021 coup and find a “credible path” back to civilian government over four years after it ousted the elected National League for Democracy (NLD) government and jailed its leaders State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint.
The U.N. supports ASEAN’s peace plan, known as the Five Point Consensus, which was agreed to by Min Aung Hlaing in April 2021 but never implemented upon his return to Burma. Guterres urged immediate humanitarian action for the 22 million in need of assistance and over 3.5 million displaced from their homes due to both natural and man-made disasters, including the 2021 coup and 2025 earthquake.
Karen National Union denies role in KK Park
The Karen National Union (KNU) stated on Sunday that it has no involvement in alleged cyber scam operations ongoing inside the Chinese-backed KK Park in Myawaddy Township, Karen State. Myawaddy is located along the Myanmar-Thailand border 81 miles (130 km) east of the Karen State capital Hpa-An.
The KNU said in its Oct. 26 statement that its Mulaei Ahlin Company withdrew from the collaboration with Trans-Asia International Holding Group (Thailand) in December 2022, suspending operations on the 100-acre plot of land now known as KK Park. Regime spokesperson Zaw Min Tun claimed that the KNU was appropriating land and protecting gambling operations on the land of KK Park in exchange for payments.
The cyber scam hub is located south of Myawaddy, near Mae Htaw Thalay village along the Thaungyin (Moei) River, which separates Myanmar from Thailand and lies within the operational territory of KNU Brigade 6. Thai media reported that regime forces bombed the KK Park compound on Oct. 24. Thailand’s Tak provincial office reported that 1,049 foreign nationals crossed from Myawaddy into Mae Sot Oct. 22-24. Read more
New Zealand fact-finding mission to Thailand-Myanmar border
Members of parliament in New Zealand held a public meeting in Auckland, New Zealand, to share the results of their fact-finding mission to the Thailand-Myanmar border, on Saturday. It was an attempt to educate and inform the people of New Zealand as to the post-2021 coup situation, and to force the government to pay more attention to Burma.
“Their purpose was to witness the situation of refugees and the displaced persons along the border. They learned what kind of assistance [New Zealand] can provide,” a Burma national living in Auckland, who attended the meeting, told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
Three New Zealand MPs Phil Twyford, Rachel Boyack and Teanau Tuiono, spent nine days along the Thailand-Myanmar border in September, meeting with Myanmar people living in exile, students, refugees, migrant workers and members of the National Unity Government (NUG). Read more
News by Region
ARAKAN—Residents of Ponnagyun Township told DVB that a 14-year-old charity worker was killed during a regime drone attack in Kuntaung village on Sunday. Ponnagyun, located 21 miles (33 km) northeast of the region’s capital Sittwe, was seized by the Arakan Army (AA) in March 2024.
“It is unacceptable that the military attacked charity workers,” a resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The victim had volunteered at the charity since age 11. Kuntaung village is located between Ponnagyun and Sittwe. Residents told DVB that there have been frequent attacks in the village.
KACHIN—The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) told DVB that China has partially reopened Burma-China border gates. This includes Laiza, Maijayan, Lweje, and Kanpaikti, which have partially reopened since Oct. 25. The KIA controls border gates at Kanpaikti, Pangwa, Lweje, Manweingyi and the Narpan gate in Laiza.
“Only food and daily goods are allowed, but fuel, electronic products and military equipment remain restricted,” Naw Bu, the KIA spokesperson, told DVB. He added that only people seeking healthcare can cross into China. It shut down border gates in Lweje, Kanpaikti and Pangwa after the KIA took control in 2024.
MANDALAY—Members of the People’s Defence Force (PDF) in Mandalay told DVB that it had lost a “large swath of territory” to regime forces across Madaya Township this month. Madaya is located 25 miles (40 km) north of the region’s capital Mandalay.
“We lost territory in eastern and western parts of Madaya due to the regime’s counteroffensive assisted by airstrikes, drone strikes and artillery attacks,” a PDF spokesperson told DVB. He added that the PDF couldn’t respond to the regime’s overwhelming air and firepower. Read more
YANGON—The Union Election Commission (UEC) told pro-regime media on Saturday that People’s Pioneer Party (PPP) founder Thet Thet Khine is disqualified from running in the upcoming regime elections scheduled to begin on Dec. 28.
The UEC cited Section 8(d) of the Amyotha Hluttaw Election Law for the disqualification in its written response that surfaced on social media on Oct. 25. The law states that a candidate must be free from any improper financial obligations to the state, or to any private individual. Read more
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