FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM Horrific phone evidence shows troops gloating over Ayardaw monastery massacre. Radio Free Asia on Saturday morning published a report graphically exhibiting a massacre carried out by troops from the Burma Army’s LIB 708 4th Company after files taken from a mobile phone belonging to one of the soldiers responsible were handed …

FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM ILO outlines bleak picture for Burma’s workers. The International Labor Organization (ILO) announced that 1.6 million workers have lost their jobs, and child labor has increased across Burma since the military coup last year. “The unstable political landscape and deteriorating economic situation in Myanmar have forced more and more families into …

Three military-appointed authorities, including ministers from the Yangon Regional Government — Hla Soe, the former prime minister, and Aung Than Oo, the former commerce minister — have been formally charged under the Anti-Corruption Law, the junta’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) stated on June 16. This is the first instance of the junta bringing charges against members …

As the international community vocally urges Burma’s military regime not to proceed with the promised executions of two of the country’s best known pro-democracy figures — an event that rumors last night suggested was imminent — DVB has confirmed from former inmates of Yangon’s Insein Prison that authorities have recently refurbished gallows within the prison compound. …

There have been no repatriations of those displaced during the recent war in Rakhine State, despite junta authorities claiming that Burma was ready to take back more than 1,000 Muslim and Hindu Rohingya refugees sheltering in Bangladesh, regional communities have told DVB. “They want to come back. They have registered and applied to be repatriated. …

FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM Three female CDM civil servants amongst five “burned alive” by troops, resistance group claims. Five members of Magway’s Yesago-based N-YSO Guerrilla (N-YSO) — including a pregnant CDM teacher and a CDM healthcare worker — three female and two male — were burned alive after being arrested by troops in a raid …

Magway Region resistance groups have categorically denied that people portrayed as submitting to the military on state-run MRTV this Monday were members of an armed group.  The military’s TV station had aired photos purportedly showing members of the People’s Defense Force (PDF) surrendering to the military in the war-torn region. The news report followed an …

FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM Junta rebukes Cambodian PM’s call to halt death sentences. The SAC is believed to have roundly rejected an appeal from the Cambodian PM after Hun Sen personally requested that Min Aung Hlaing reconsider the executions of two of Burma’s leading democracy figures. Read more.  AA plays up defections as junta number …

In an informal hearing in New York last night, the UN Special Envoy for Burma, Noeleen Heyzer, told the General Assembly (UNGA) that the coup had “opened new frontlines that had long been at peace”, and that Burma’s challenges had “both deepened and expanded dramatically”. The diplomat — who was criticised by Burmese citizens this …

Hundreds of Burma Army soldiers have defected to the Arakan Army (AA) and are being provided humanitarian assistance, AA spokesperson Khaing Thukha announced during an online press conference today. “We have hundreds of junta troops defecting to the AA. We are providing care for these people. We cannot provide the exact number of soldiers that …

The SAC has roundly rejected an appeal from Cambodian PM Hun Sen asking that it reconsider the executions of two of Burma’s leading democracy figures. The PM wrote to junta leader Min Aung Hlaing this Friday requesting the military regime shelve its plans to execute the men on political grounds, according to Nikkei Asia which …

Bunkers are being built at newly fortified police stations in almost all towns in Ayeyarwady Region, according to local sources. Officers at undermanned stations in rural areas of Kyaunggone, Yegyi, and Myaungmya townships have been relocated to police stations inside cities, members of the police community told DVB. “I heard that a new bunker was …

The junta today finally confirmed that it is to prosecute Sean Turnell, an Australian economist and advisor to the NLD administration. Turnell was today charged under Section 3(1)(c) of the Official State Secrets Act by a military tribunal in Naypyidaw. The Zabuthiri “special” court also charged former State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, the NLD …

A World Health Organization (WHO Myanmar) staff member was shot dead in Mawlamyine, Mon State, while returning from his office at around 5 p.m. yesterday evening. Myo Min Htut had worked as a driver for WHO Myanmar for five years. The INGO announced his death on its Facebook page shortly after the killing, stating that …

More than 300 undocumented Burmese migrants have been arrested in connection with a killing of a Thai national in Thailand and are reportedly facing difficulties in detention. A total of 323 migrant workers were arrested between June 1 to 6 when Thai security forces conducted house-to-house search operations. This is the first time that hundreds …

The junta on June 3 told media outlets that appeals of death sentences handed down to two of Burma’s most prominent pro-democracy figures had been rejected by military courts, and that the pair are to be hanged.  The military’s announcement has raised fierce international condemnation and is driving fears that the SAC will enact capital …

JOOX Myanmar, a music steaming application partially owned by coup leader Min Aung Hlaing’s daughter Thiri Thet Mon, will be ending its operations within Burma, the company has announced. JOOX’s services will cease to be available in the country by July 6, according to the announcement. The application, owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent, is …

More than 15,000 Burmese migrant workers, fleeing persecution and economic decline across the country, were arrested in Thailand in May alone, according to Moe Kyo, chairperson of the Mae Sot-based Joint Action Committee for Burmese Citizens (JACBA). The committee recorded that 150 Burmese and Thai brokers were arrested over the same period. “This month, the …

On June 1, a liter of premium diesel cost Burmese consumers roughly K2,350 (US$1.30) from pumps in Yangon, over three times the pre-coup price of ~K700. Over the same time, the Myanmar kyat has lost over one third of its real value, dropping from a pre-coup value of ~K1,350/US$1 to a black market rate of …

Rice recently donated by the UN World Food Program (WFP) is being resold in a local wholesale market in Pekon, according to an aid group that helps Karenni IDPs. A volunteer from the aid group told DVB that they found the WFP-branded bags of rice while they were shopping at a grocery store in Pekon …

This story is part of a DVB series on Burmese migrant workers supported by the Pulitzer Center and is a co-publication with Al Jazeera. [All images courtesy of Kiana Duncan] Ranong, Thailand — When Po Kyaw left for work on board a new ship in the coastal town of Ranong last month, his wife and …

The junta’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in Burma jointly announced the inauguration of the Chongqing-Lincang-Mandalay train route, a bimodal transport link which aims to further connect Burma and China. According to military publication, The Global New Light of Myanmar, the route will open a new “economic corridor” promoting bilateral trade between …

The Pa-O National Organization (PNO) is recruiting locals to form a new pro-junta militia from villages between Taunngyi and Hopong in territory that is part of the Pa-O Self-Administered Zone, southern Shan. Villages report having been forced to provide three civilians each to contribute to the new militia. Ethnic Pa-O men between the ages 18 …

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), an organization lauded for its recording and validation of incidences of crimes against humanity in Burma since the coup, has received the 2021 Seán MacBride Peace Prize from Germany-based group, the International Peace Bureau (IPB). “The AAPP have continued to tirelessly and diligently documented each and every death …

Burma’s banking and financial crises have worsened since the military coup, despite the military pledging that it would prop up the sectors as private banks face collapse. Zaw Min Tun, the Deputy Information Minister of the military regime, revealed at a recent press conference in Naypyidaw that the junta has provided aid to the country’s …

[Image: A woman in Karenni State who, in the absence of US sanctions, could potentially pass customers the Kool-Aid] Less than a month ago, military spokesperson Zaw Min Tun — who will go down in history as one of the world’s great, and most useless, purveyors of hate speech and disinformation — made an exceptionally rambling speech …

The New Mon State Party (NMSP) and the junta have, during Min Aung Hlaing’s “peace talks”, come to an agreement to draft a “state constitution for equality and self-determination” and a “constitution for the establishment of a federal union”, according to NMSP spokesman Naing Aung Ma Ngay. “We requested [the junta] work quickly to draft …

As everyone knows, the coup leader Min Aung Hlaing granted the release of over 1,600 prisoners nationwide on the day of the Burmese New Year, April 17. Among those released were many sentenced under the Army and Police Discipline acts, yet also those imprisoned on drug charges.  Most prisoners convicted on drug charges will bribe …

General Yawd Serk, the chairman of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS/SSA), attended the junta’s much mooted “peace talks” today, seemingly putting the full support of the EAO behind the military. The pair are said to have discussed ways to develop a “federal union”, appropriating a phrase popularised by Burma’s parallel and democratically recognised …

A KNU camp, for decades held by the military, is back in the hands of Karen resistance groups after fighting broke out between the Burma Army and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) on the night of May 17 near Thay Baw Bo village, south of Myawaddy. Fighting continued into the morning and the army …

A third legally documented batch of Burmese migrant workers arrived in Mae Sot, Thailand, on Thursday, crossing the Friendship Bridge No. 2 from Myawaddy in Karen State. The Burmese nationals were recruited under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) system, a Thai government program designed to absorb workers from neighboring countries (~80% of whom typically come …

NUG foreign minister, Zin Mar Aung, met with US Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, during her trip to Washington DC last week. “It was an honor to meet with [McConnell] to discuss the ongoing violent campaigns of the military junta in Myanmar. We exchanged notes and agreed on the importance of ongoing support from the …

A leaked document described by sources to DVB Burmese suggests that the junta has compiled a list of businesspeople, cronies, and others affiliated to the military that it has ruled are now subject to travel bans, blocking them from leaving the country and requiring them to reenter. The list includes Max Zaw Zaw and U …

Due to extremely low audience numbers, movie theater owners are shuttering locations just weeks after the military forced a nationwide restart of Burma’s film industry.  Film producers, many of whom have been blocked from leaving the country, say they are finding it difficult to screen movies despite the military recently forcing cinemas across Burma to …

Rohingya students barred from attending classes at Sittwe University for ten years are beginning to return to the institution after the Rakhine State Students’ Union advocated for the discriminatory ban to be lifted, a spokesperson for the union has told DVB. Rohingya students lost their right to attend classes at the university following riots in …

The Democratic Party for a New Society (DPNS), a minority group with past affiliations to the NLD and All Burma Student’s League, has been forced to suspend operations after the party rejected the junta-controlled Union Election Commission’s (UEC) calls to investigate the party. The UEC said in a letter to the party that the junta …

The Burma Army and allied Border Guard Force (BGF) recently captured roughly 100 civilians, marching them as a human shield to the military’s Lay Kay camp in Bilin township, located in the Karen National Union’s (KNU) Brigade 1 territory, Padoh Saw Soe Myint, chairperson of KNU Brigade 1’s Thaton District, told DVB. Around 50 soldiers …

Almost 16,000 tourists visited Rakhine State over this year’s Thingyan holiday period, according to the junta’s Rakhine State Hotels and Tourism Department. The military and the Arakan Army (AA) had hosted competing Rakhine Thingyan celebrations in the state; festivals have been sparse in preceding years due to conflict, COVID-19, and the coup. Of these figures, …

In a speech published across state media today, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing invited EAO heads to meet with him in person to discuss a return to the peace process. “2022 will be the year of peace, and armed conflict will end across the country. To effectively implement this peace, I will invite the leaders …

Dr Htar Htar Lin and Dr Soe Oo, the former heads of Burma’s COVID-19 vaccine program, have been found guilty of corruption by a military-controlled court. The military had accused Dr Htar Htar Lin of mismanaging international funds related to COVID-19 vaccines and embezzling K161.2 billion (US$87,000) of state funds. Dr Soe Oo was charged …

The dead body of Daw Soe Soe, the wife of the NLD’s vice-chairman for Mandalay district, was found dumped in front of a fire station, six days after she was arrested and tortured by the military. It is believed that the woman was murdered by security forces who had captured her in an attempt to …

Approximately 100 civilians have been used as military porters to aid in the construction of a new military outpost in Naung Hee villact tract in Namsan township, the Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) said on April 19. Residents of Nam Mot village say they were ordered to send one person per household to partake in …

An estimated 70 houses were burnt down during a military raid on Pati village in Pauk township on the evening of April 19, according to local sources. Soldiers are said to have entered the village mounted on 16 motorbikes before carrying out the arson attacks. A local told DVB that villagers had “no place to …

The SAC has put all of its troops under an indefinite “state of readiness”, according to sources inside the military. The news comes shortly after the National Unity Government (NUG) announced its forces will be transitioning from “defensive” to “offensive” combat operations. Despite credible source testimony, DVB highlights that it has not yet been able …

The NUG’s Defense Minister, Yee Mon, on April 18 told the fourth session of the government’s Union Hluttaw that his ministry now had the capability to provide weapons for the People’s Defense Force. According to the minister, the NUG can now meet the minimum demand of associated resistance groups for “factory produced weapons”. He said …

The Karen National Union (KNU) Central Land Committee has announced that it has legally certified five new self-administered areas in Bago Region and Kayin State.  In an announcement made in Taungoo, Bago, on April 14, the EAO said that a total of five areas, including Kawthaygu in Hpapun (Mutraw) district and four areas in Taungoo …

The producer of the now multi-international award winning documentary, Myanmar Diaries, says that a new platform to help Burma’s talented young filmmakers has been established in light of the success of the work. In February, the documentary — a tapestry of documentary footage and artistic storytelling on the topic of Burma’s Spring Revolution — won best …

FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM Today’s Headlines Thursday, April 7, 2022 CBM vice-chair shot in Yangon home. A head of the military-controlled Central Bank of Myanmar was shot at her Yangon home this morning. Than Than Swe was last reported to have been rushed to Yangon General Hospital. Read DVB’s report. BURMESE KNU to exit PPST? …

The NUG on late Thursday night announced it is to grant huge rewards of up to K10,000 lakh (~US$ 500,000) to military personnel who defected with a helicopter, jet fighter, or other aircraft.  On an itemized bounty list released on April 7 and signed by the NUG’s acting president Duwa Lashi La, large sums are …

The family of Maung Gyi Hla, a deceased man thought to be a victim of torture, say they are disappointed with an explanation for his death provided to them by the Arakan Army (AA). AA spokesperson Khaing Thukha had responded to a question posed at a press conference on Tuesday by saying: “[Maung Gyi Hla] …