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UN Special Rapporteur calls for emergency summit on Myanmar; Resistance group attacks Air Force base

UN Special Rapporteur calls for emergency summit on Myanmar

Tom Andrews, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma, said that the international community should hold an emergency summit to discuss the violence gripping the country since the 2021 military coup. He called on countries in the Asia-Pacific region, during a visit to Australia, to cut off the flow of weapons and money to the regime in Naypyidaw.

“The international response to this crisis is clearly not working,” said Andrews. “I’m worried that the deepening crisis in Myanmar has become invisible to much of the world.” He urged Australia, and other countries, to refer Burma to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and prosecute regime leaders for war crimes and genocide.

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to adopt new strategies to end the post-coup violence in Burma. The 44th ASEAN Summit discussed the crisis during a meeting in Vientiane this week. The regime sent its Ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Aung Kyaw Moe to Laos.

Resistance group attacks Air Force base

A resistance group calling itself the Civilian Military-Sagaing Region Defense Force told DVB that it and another group fired rockets at the Hmawbi Air Force Base and claimed to have hit the hangar, located in Hmawbi Township of Yangon Region on Wednesday. 

“They searched the whole compound after the rocket hit and fired back with artillery,” a spokesperson from the group told DVB. It added that the attack was in retaliation for the death of Zaw Myint Maung, who died at Mandalay hospital – one day after his release from prison on medical grounds – and for other political prisoners who’ve died due to an alleged lack of medical care in prison.

Hmawbi residents told DVB that they heard the sounds of explosions and gunfire coming from inside the Air Force Base. Regime media has yet to report on the attacks and the number of casualties, or the extent of the damage. The Burma Air Force has intensified airstrikes on areas controlled by resistance groups since September.

Announcing the DVB Peacock Film Festival 2024

We’re proud to announce the launch of the DVB Peacock Film Festival 2024, an event dedicated to showcasing the high-quality work of Burma’s documentary filmmakers. DVB Peacock Film Festival will take place December 8-10. It will shine a spotlight on under-reported stories in Myanmar since the 2021 coup. 

“We warmly welcome you to join our first-ever DVB Peacock Film Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It is a great honor to screen these films from storytellers, journalists and filmmakers from inside Myanmar and from exile, where many have had to seek sanctuary from the military regime, which suppresses freedom of expression and stories about life inside Myanmar since 2021,” said DVB Chief Editor Aye Chan Naing.

The DVB Peacock Film Festival 2024 seeks to bring global attention to Burma’s crisis over the last three years, documenting the resilience, bravery, and unwavering spirit of its people through a wide array of films. The festival will feature screenings of DVB Short Docs (DSDC), Citizen Journalist (CJ) Shorts, and special news feature documentaries, along with other critically-acclaimed films.

News by Region

ARAKAN—Nearly 700 people, including political prisoners, were transferred from Sittwe Prison in the Arakan State capital to an unknown location by boat on Tuesday. “I don’t know where they were taken. They were moved with their heads covered,” a Sittwe resident told DVB. 

Fighting between the Arakan Army (AA) and the military has been escalating near Sittwe since September. Around 500 prisoners were secretly transferred from Sittwe Prison in September. The AA launched its latest offensive against the military on Nov. 13. 

SHAN—Telecommunication services, including Starlink, have been unavailable in Lashio, northern Shan State since Wednesday. Lashio residents claimed that the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) has shut down Starlink services due to its use by alleged military informants. 

“Only two or three places have a signal, so we have to go there to make phone calls,” a Lashio resident told DVB. The MNDAA stated that 31 civilians were killed and more than 90 others were injured by airstrikes on residential areas in Laukkai, Hsenwi, Kutkai and Lashio from July to September. Around 30 people were arrested by the MNDAA, accused of sharing information used to determine targets for regime airstrikes.

Two civilians were killed and six more were injured during an airstrike carried out by the Air Force on the Thandaung Oo sugar mill in Shandaw village of Mongyai Township, located around 58 miles (93 km) south of Lashio, on Wednesday. 

“Three bombs landed that day. The victims were factory workers,” a resident told DVB. The People’s Spring news agency reported that Chinese nationals were inside the factory’s compound during the airstrike. Pro-regime social media channels claim that the MNDAA was storing food at the factory.

YANGON—Paing Phyo Min (aka De Yay), the leader of an anti-military group called the Anti-Junta Alliance of Yangon, was arrested on Wednesday – as fellow AJAY member Shine Wai Aung was also detained. The two were apprehended by regime troops in Yangon. 

Paing Phyo Min’s home was reportedly raided during a household list inspection. “He is a target of the regime. As you know, the military uses inhumane tactics when arresting protest leaders. We are extremely worried for him,” Nan Lin, the co-founder of the University Students’ Union Alumni Force, told DVB. Read more here. 

(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,700 kyat)

Read: Myanmar’s ancient temples risk collapse from extreme weather.

Watch: Myanmar migrant school becomes refuge for families in Chiang Mai. DVB English News is on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads & TikTok. Subscribe to us on YouTube.

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