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Heavy fighting is underway in western Myanmar’s Rakhine state between junta troops and ethnic rebels in the vicinity of the military’s western command center, trapping civilians in the crossfire, residents said Friday.
The Arakan Army, or AA, battling for self-determination for the mostly Buddhist Rakhine people, has taken territory across Rakhine state and controls 10 of the state’s 17 townships, and one in neighboring Chin state since the military’s February 2021 coup d’etat.
It would be the first rebel group to take over a state if it seizes all territory in military control there, as it has vowed to do.
Clashes have intensified since the AA launched an offensive on Sept. 26 against military positions in Rakhine’s Ann township, capturing the military’s Taw Heing Taung and Me Taung strategic hills. The junta has since sent reinforcements to the area.
The fighting is now located around five kilometers (three miles) from the junta’s Western Regional Military Command, according to residents who spoke to RFA Burmese on condition of anonymity, due to security concerns.
“The AA has been firing heavy weapons both day and night at the western command, Light Infantry Battalion No. 373, and the artillery battalion in Ann township,” said one resident, adding that the military has responded with multiple airstrikes. “The fighting is escalating in downtown Ann now.”
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A resident of Ann said that inhabitants of the town have tried to escape the fighting, “but the junta won’t let them.”
“People are living in constant fear, uncertain of what might happen next,” the resident said. “There is a severe shortage of food, medicine, and medical care, as hospitals and clinics are struggling to provide services.”
According to the resident, the price of medicine at local markets is now “far beyond the reach of ordinary citizens,” while transportation has become extremely difficult as “gasoline prices have soared to more than 30,000 kyats (US$14) per liter.”
Travel prohibited
Another resident of Ann, who also declined to be named, said junta forces ended departures on Wednesday, when they stopped 15 vehicles carrying more than 100 people attempting to flee to nearby Pa Dan and Min Bu townships.
“It remains unclear where the passengers have been taken,” he said.
Weapons and ammunition seized by Arakan Army forces on Mae Taung hill in Ann township are seen Oct. 7, 2024. (AA Info Desk) 
Attempts by RFA to contact AA spokesperson Khaing Thukha went unanswered Friday, as did efforts to reach the junta’s Rakhine state spokesperson Hla Thein.
Fighting between the AA and junta forces in Rakhine state began around a year ago, when the AA ended a ceasefire that had been in place since the military coup.
Residents of Rakhine state say that the junta has been conducting more aerial attacks on civilian areas in townships which were lost to the AA, as well as areas of intense fighting.
Data compiled by RFA found that junta airstrikes killed 93 civilians and wounded 66 others in Rakhine’s Thandwe, Maungdaw, Pauktaw, Myaebon and Toungup townships in September alone.
Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.
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Insurgent forces in eastern Myanmar captured a junta base close to the Thai border on Thursday morning, a Karen National Union spokesperson told Radio Free Asia.
The Karen National Liberation Army, or KNLA, attacked a junta camp near Kayin state’s Lay Kay Kaw village with heavy weapons, capturing prisoners and seizing weapons, Saw Taw Nee said.
The KNLA is the military wing of the Karen National Union. It is Myanmar’s oldest ethnic armed organization, fighting since the 1950s for autonomy and territory. Since 2021, when the country’s military seized power in a coup that toppled a democratically elected civilian administration, the KNLA has stepped up fighting for control of Kayin and Mon states in southeast Myanmar.
KNLA troops pose with weapons seized during the capture of the junta’s Swe Taw Kone military base near Kayin state’s Lay Kay Kaw village in Myawaddy township, on Oct. 17, 2024. (Facebook: Cobra Column Sub-Division 3) The junta base captured Thursday is only 14 kilometers (eight miles) from trade hub and border town Myawaddy, where KNLA forces briefly captured the Infantry Battalion 275 camp for two weeks in April before losing control to junta forces.
The Swe Taw Kone camp acts as a strategic stronghold to help junta forces retain their grip on Myawaddy, Saw Taw Nee said.
“According to the military, without the defense this camp provides for this important part of their territory, Myawaddy’s out in the open,” he said. “From this camp, junta forces have frequently fired at Thin Gan Nyi Naung and villages surrounding the Asian Highway, causing a lot of destruction and injuries.”
Out of the hundreds of soldiers stationed at the camp, many, including a commander, escaped during the attack, he said. The KNLA and its allies are working to track them down, capture them and clear the area.
Saw Taw Nee declined to comment on how many junta soldiers had been captured during the attack.
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Swe Taw Kone was the main camp providing infantry support to the junta during the battles that took place near Myawaddy, he said, adding that it took allied KNLA forces more than three months to capture it.
The junta has not released any information about Swe Taw Kone and attempts by RFA to reach junta spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun were unsuccessful.
The KNLA has warned allies and nearby residents of possible airstrikes, saying that junta planes have been scouting the area since it took the camp on Thursday morning.
Lay Kay Kaw village is the site of one of dozens of camps along the Thai-Myanmar border housing civilians displaced by flooding, raids, razed villages and airstrikes. The camp is one of several in the region that have been targeted in junta bombings.
Translated by Kiana Duncan. Edited by Mike Firn.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Burmese.
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An insurgent group battling Myanmar’s junta in Shan state has taken full control of a major town, a spokesperson told Radio Free Asia on Monday.
The Ta’ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, said it captured the final junta base in Hsipaw on Sunday and plans to use its position to strike other military camps in the area.
The TNLA, is a member of the Three Brotherhood Alliance that launched Operation 1027 nearly a year ago in an effort to seize territory from the military that took power in a 2021 coup.
Since launching the offensive, heavy fighting for control of Lashio, Nawnghkio and other northern Shan towns has sparked concern from China, which borders the state to the east, and forced it to shut previously busy border crossings.
China has tried to protect its interests by brokering ceasefires between the junta and alliance members, but these haven’t lasted long.
The second round of Operation 1027 began when a five-month truce collapsed in June. Since then the TNLA has captured Kyaukme, Mongmit and Nawnghkio towns in northern Shan state, as well as Mandalay region’s Mogoke town.
Two months later, the TNLA turned its sights on Hsipaw. It captured most of the town on Aug. 12 but the junta held on to an infantry camp.
On Sunday, the Infantry Battalion 23 base finally fell to the TNLA, spokesperson Lway Yay Oo said.
“We managed to completely control Hsipaw,” she told RFA. “According to our list, there must be over 50 captured soldiers and over 100 members of military families. We will release the family members.”
Neither side has reported any casualties and RFA’s calls to Shan state’s junta spokesperson Khun Thein Maung went unanswered.
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By taking full control of Hsipaw the TNLA is in a stronger position to attack nearby junta camps. After capturing most of the town in mid-August it started targeting light infantry battalions 503 and 504 about a kilometer away.
The junta has been hitting back with daily airstrikes. A Y-12 airplane dropped more than 80 bombs on TNLA positions on Friday, the group said in a statement published the following day.
In over two months of fighting in Hsipaw, junta airstrikes and artillery fire have killed 32 people, including young children and injured 100 more residents, according to local civil society groups.
Lashio under fire
Another Three Brotherhood Alliance member has also been taking territory off junta forces in Shan state. Since the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, or MNDAA, captured the junta’s military headquarters in Lashio in July, and took full control of the town in August, civilians have borne the brunt of junta retaliation through frequent airstrikes and shelling.
Junta bombs killed three villagers on Monday morning in the township’s Ei Naing village, residents said.
Three men in their 40s died and two other people were injured, including a child, according to a resident who didn’t want to be named for fear of reprisals.
“The men who were attacked died on the spot. They didn’t have time to dodge because the bomb fell straight on their house,” he said.
The injured were moved to a safe location to receive medical treatment, he added.
The bombs destroyed a church and five houses, according to an MNDAA-associated aid group.
Residents stand outside a house bombed by junta planes in Ei Naing village, Lashio Township, Shan state on Oct. 14, 2024. (Facebook: Lashio Reconstruction) Frequent battles near Ei Naing village prompted heavy shelling by the junta, causing most of the 1,000 people living in the area to flee, residents said.
Many returned to Lashio after the MNDAA took control of the township, but fled again following Monday’s attack.
In September, the MNDAA said it had cut ties with Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government. It said it would work with China to bring peace and announced it had no plans to capture large towns in Shan state.
Days later the junta bombed Lashio and peace talks never took place.
Since June, over 20 junta airstrikes on Lashio have killed three people and injured over 100, according to an MNDAA statement on Oct. 4.
Translated by Kiana Duncan. Edited by Mike Firn.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Burmese.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice.
- The Israeli army chief says the military is preparing for a possible ground operation in Lebanon.
- As fighting between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, Palestinians in Gaza fear their plight is being overlooked by the international community.
- In a blow to the oil and gas industry, California Governor Gavin Newsom signs 3 bills in Los Angeles holding oil drillers accountable for pollution and giving more power to local governments to limit drilling.
- The San Francisco Board of Supervisors introduced a resolution this week urging the city attorney’s office to drop a controversial lawsuit going before the Supreme Court next month, which some fear could weaken the Environmental Protection Agency.
The post The Israeli army chief says the military is preparing for a possible ground operation in Lebanon – September 25, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.
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Insurgents in western Myanmar have captured an important military training base after a month of fighting, the rebel army said in a statement, dealing what is likely to be a severe blow to the embattled military.
.Arakan Army troops seized the Central Naval Diving and Salvage Depot between Thandwe township’s Maung Shwe Lay and Kwin Waing village in Rakhine state on Thursday, said the ethnic minority insurgent force battling for self-determination.
The Arakan Army, or AA, said the facility was the last naval base held by junta forces in Thandwe township, and it was defended on a “huge-scale” by the junta’s air force and navy as well as more than 1,200 soldiers, including many new graduates from the base.
“More than 400 junta soldiers were killed during our attack, and junta weapons, ammunition and equipment were seized,” the AA said in its statement.
Radio Free Asia was not able to independently verify that toll and the junta’s main spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, did not respond to requests for comment.
The AA posted pictures of its fighters standing by a diving boards at the training center.
The base is a major navy training facility and its loss will be of huge significance for the military, said Pe Than, a former member of parliament for the Arakan National Party, which in the past had affiliations with the AA.
“Losing such a base will affect training as well as fighting. They’ve destroyed the navy and weakened the army, like cutting a man off at the waist,” he said.
He said the Danyawaddy Naval Base in Kyaukpyu township, to the north of Thandwe, was the navy’s last facility in Rakhine state.
“The military is like a bird with one wing now,” he said.
Arakan Army forces after capturing the junta’s Central Naval Diving and Salvage Depot in Rakhine State on Sept. 5, 2024 (Arakan Army Information Desk) The loss of the base will not only dent the junta’s morale and reputation but also bring in more resources for the AA through the control of goods coming through a nearby port, he said.
The AA said it expected junta retaliation against civilians in the area. Human rights investigators say junta forces have been increasingly attacking civilian targets as they lose ground to insurgent forces in different parts of the country. The military denies attacking civilians.
The Arakan Army, which launched a new offensive against the military in November, controls nine townships in Rakhine state and one in neighboring Chin state, and is battling to take full control of three other townships.
Junta forces have launched crackdowns in the north of the state, near the Bangladesh border, and across the neighboring Ayeyarwady region after AA gains in the south of the state.
Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn.
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UPDATED Aug. 30, 2024, 13:03 ET.
Chinese authorities warned an ethnic minority insurgent group on Myanmar’s northeastern border to stop fighting the Myanmar military or be “responsible for the consequences,” according to a spokesperson for the group.
China has extensive economic interests in neighboring Myanmar, including oil and gas pipelines and mines, and it has been increasingly concerned about the impact of a surge of fighting this year between various insurgent forces and the military
A spokesman for the insurgent group, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, told Radio Free Asia that the security committee in the Chinese border town of Ruili told the TNLA in a letter to stop fighting.
“Fighting must stop immediately in order to maintain stability and peace on the China-Myanmar border and protect the lives of Chinese citizens,” the Chinese security committee said in the letter, copies of which were posted online.
If the TNLA did not comply, China would “teach them a lesson,” and the group would be “responsible for the consequences,” the security committee said.
Radio Free Asia was not able to contact the security committee in Ruili and the Chinese Embassy in Yangon did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication. However, during a regular press briefing in Beijing on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters that China is “highly concerned about … the conflict in northern Myanmar” and “will continue to … promote the easing and cooling of the situation” in the region.
A spokesperson for the TNLA, Lway Yay Oo, confirmed that the letter was from Chinese authorities but declined further comment except to say the group’s top leaders were meeting to discuss it.
China is known to maintain contacts with Myanmar rebel groups operating along its border, some of which have promised to protect Chinese business interests.
China-brokered two short-lived ceasefires between a three-party insurgent alliance, which includes the TNLA, and the junta this year but the truces collapsed and the insurgents stepped up pressure on the military, capturing numerous outposts, several major towns and a regional military headquarters. RFA was unable to independently confirm whether the warning was also sent to the other armies that make up the alliance — the Arakan Army and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army.
China also maintains close ties with the junta that seized power in a 2021 coup, and is keen to limit the influence in Myanmar of Western countries and Myanmar’s other big neighbor, India.
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Exercises
China is hoping an election the junta has promised to hold next year can help restore peace and stability, analysts say, while at the same time it is pressing anti-junta forces to agree to peace.
Media reported this week that China had closed the border between Ruili and the Myanmar town of Muse, cutting off trade including fuel supplies apparently to pressure the TNLA to silence its guns.
In a show of force, China’s People’s Liberation Army began military exercises, including live-fire drills, in the Ruili area on Tuesday. China’s defense ministry said the drills would strengthen border security and stability.
In mid-August, China fired warning shots into Kachin state to the north apparently in a bid to warn off junta aircraft bombing an insurgent base on the border.
Myanmar political and military analyst Than Soe Naing said there was little China could do to stop the war apart from making threats and imposing border restrictions on the insurgent groups and their leaders.
“These restrictions can’t actually limit the battles that are being fought from Nawnghkio township in Shan state to Pyinoolwin township in Mandalay,” Than Soe Naing said, referring to a broad swathe of central-northeast Myanmar where rebel forces have been making advances.
Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn.
This story has been updated to include a statement by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian.
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More than 10,000 freshly-trained fighters from an ethnic army are on their way to replenish Myanmar’s depleted junta forces.
On Wednesday, the pro-junta Pa-O National Army, or PNA, completed a military training program for the new recruits in southern Shan state.
The graduation ceremony, held in Naungtayar town, within the Pa-O Self-Administered Zone, was attended by the militia’s chief of staff, military regional commanders and officials from the Pa-O National Organization party.
The training was primarily aimed at supporting the military junta, which has suffered numerous battlefield setbacks in Shan state in recent months, according to a political analyst who requested anonymity for security reasons.
Pa-O National Army trainees attend a military graduation ceremony on Aug. 21, 2024, in Naungtayar, Shan state. (PNO/PNA Information) “The primary objective is to demonstrate strength and power,” the analyst told Radio Free Asia. “This display suggests that they will likely participate in conflicts in the border region, seemingly acting as a proxy for the military council.”
Founded in 1976, the Pa-O National Army, or PNA, signed a ceasefire agreement in 1991 with a previous military junta, the State Peace and Development Council.
It later transformed into a state-backed people’s militia force and merged with other Pa-O paramilitary groups in 2009. The following year, the area under its control was officially designated as the Pa’O Self-Administered Zone, or Special Region 6.
The Pa-O people, the second largest ethnic group in Shan state, are split between pro- and anti-junta factions.
Flag bearers stand during a Pa-O National Army military graduation ceremony on Aug. 21, 2024, in Naungtayar, Shan state. (PNO/PNA Information) Earlier this year, a different militia – the Pa-O National Liberation Army, or PNLA – fought several battles against junta troops in southern Shan State and the PNA conducted counterattacks on behalf of the junta during this fighting.
The newly trained 10,000 troops are intended to protect the military junta, PNLA spokesperson Khun Rain Yan told RFA.
RFA attempted to contact Major Than Kywe, the spokesperson of the Pa-O National Organization, to inquire about the new trainees but received no response.
Translated by Kalyar Lwin. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Burmese.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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Myanmar’s ethnic Arakan Army has captured a key town in Rakhine state’s southernmost Gwa township after launching attacks on junta positions earlier this week, residents said Thursday.
The push to the southern border with Ayeyarwady region is the latest advance for the Arakan Army, or AA, which ended a truce with the military in November and has gone on to control nine townships and three sub-townships in Rakhine state, as well as Paletwa township in neighboring Chin state to the north.
The AA’s advance south into areas traditionally on the edge of its influence could signal the army wants to establish a foothold in more central Myanmar, so that it could claim it is a national resistance force instead of a marginal ethnic armed group.
On Wednesday, the AA captured two military camps and a police station in Gwa’s coastal Kyeintali town after launching an offensive two days earlier, according to residents.
The two camps had only recently been established after the AA pushed junta troops south amid heavy fighting in neighboring Thandwe township, and the military was forced to retreat to Gwa township’s Ka La Pyin village on the outskirts of Kyeintali “with high casualties,” they said.
As the AA entered Kyeintali, the military countered with airstrikes and shelling from naval vessels, said one of the town’s residents who, like others interviewed for this report, spoke to RFA Burmese on condition of anonymity, citing security concerns.
“They [the AA] attacked the police station on the hill, and two junta outposts in Ward 1 and 3,” he said. “About 30 artillery shells exploded in the town near schools and on the roads. Some buildings were destroyed.”
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The resident said that some civilians were forced to flee, while others were “trapped in their houses” during the clash.
The town of Kyeintali is home to around 10,000 people – most of whom have relocated to Thandwe township and Ayeyarwady region as fighting in Gwa intensified, other sources in the region told RFA.
Those who remained trapped in Kyeintali said they feared further bombardment from the military.
AA pushes on
A resident of Ka La Pyin village, who also declined to be named, said that fierce clashes continued Thursday as the AA pursued junta troops.
“Junta forces retreated from Kyeintali town to regroup with reinforcements from Gwa township and the AA continued to attack them,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Arakan Army continued its assault on the junta’s Maung Shwe Lay naval base in Thandwe after occupying the township, residents said.
The AA has yet to release any information about the seizure of Kyeintali and attempts by RFA to contact the army’s spokesperson, Khaing Thu Kha, went unanswered Thursday, as did efforts to reach the junta’s attorney general and spokesperson for Rakhine state, Hla Thein.
A screenshot from a video documents the Arakan Army rescuing Muslim elders, women, men and children from the Bo Hsu Village of Maungdaw Township, Aug. 8, 2024. The civilians were trapped as human shields by the military junta and Muslim militants. (AA Info Desk via Telegram) Veteran Rakhine politician and former lawmaker Pe Than told RFA that the AA would undoubtedly continue its assault on Gwa township.
“The AA have already declared that the entirety of Rakhine state must be liberated from the junta,” he said. “They have a military goal and they will continue to pursue it.”
Military analysts have noted that the junta only controls one camp each in Rakhine’s Maungdaw and Thandwe townships, and suggest the two regions are likely to soon fall under AA control.
Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.
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Up to 200 Rohingya Muslims were killed in drone strikes last week in Burma as they attempted to flee to Bangladesh. This comes amid intensifying conflict between the military junta and the Arakan Army, a rebel armed group. Human Rights Watch says the military and the Arakan Army have both committed extrajudicial killings, unlawful recruitment for combat, and widespread arson against Rohingya civilians. “They are the enemy of each other, but when it comes to the Rohingya issue, they have the same intention,” says Nay San Lwin, co-founder of the Free Rohingya Coalition. Only about 600,000 Rohingya remain in Burma, down from about 1.4 million before a campaign of ethnic cleansing began in 2016, though Nay San Lwin says the Rohingya genocide goes back even further to 1978.
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A former military leader of Myanmar, Senior Gen. Than Shwe, has called on China to help Myanmar end internal conflict and stabilize the country, according to China’s foreign ministry.
The 91-year-old ruled during a period of strict military rule, from 1992 to 2011, when Myanmar was facing the condemnation of Western governments for suppressing democracy and locking up Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. He is rarely seen in public these days.
Than Shwe, during a meeting on Wednesday with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, praised Beijing’s long-term support and said he hoped it would continue “to provide valuable support to help Myanmar prevent external interference and maintain domestic stability,” Wang’s ministry said.
Wang told Than Shwe that China was willing to “support Myanmar in safeguarding its independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and support Myanmar in its efforts to achieve domestic political reconciliation within the constitutional framework, smoothly hold national elections, and restart the process of democratic transformation.”
The two met as Wang visited Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw for talks with the junta leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing.
Myanmar’s state-controlled Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that China had offered to help Myanmar organize an election next year but it did not report Than Shwe’s request for help in restoring stability.
The Myanmar military, shunned and sanctioned again by Western nations after ousting a government led by Suu Kyi in early 2021, has been able to rely on China for diplomatic, economic and military support.
But China has also maintained links with some of the ethnic minority insurgent forces battling the junta, particularly groups operating along its border in northeastern Myanmar’s Shan state and it calls on all sides to resolve differences peacefully.
This year, China brokered two short-lived ceasefires between the junta insurgent forces as battles affected trade and stability along the border. This month, insurgents in Shan state called on China to press the junta to stop attacks on civilians.
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Opposition to ‘foreign interference’
China is one of Myanmar’s main foreign investors, in minerals and energy in particular, and some insurgents have promised to protect China’s interests. Fighting in central Myanmar’s Mandalay region has in recent days come near to oil and natural gas pipelines that run from Myanmar’s coast into China.
Wang stressed China’s displeasure at renewed fighting along the border, and also his opposition to “interference of foreign forces in Myanmar” and actions that “destroy peace and development,” his ministry said.
He did not specify which foreign interference he referred to but analysts say China is keen to limit the influence in Myanmar of Western countries like the United States, as well as that of India.
Wang promised technical support and aid for the junta’s promised election, which could be held next year, and a census late this year, the Global New Light of Myanmar reported.
“Necessary technological assistance will be provided for Myanmar to conduct the census-taking process,” the newspaper reported. “Moreover, essential aid will be given for the election.”
He also stressed the need for all parties to be represented in the vote, calling in his talks with Min Aung Hlaing for an “all-inclusive election.”
Political analyst Than Soe Naing told RFA that Than Shwe’s request to China for help might be an indication of how desperate the junta was in the face of major battlefield setbacks in recent weeks.
“He’s asking China to put pressure on the fighting in northern Shan state to maintain the junta leader’s power,” the analyst said.
On Friday, Wang Yi will attend a regional foreign ministers’ meeting in Thailand.
Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn.
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Bangladesh’s interim government will be formed and sworn in on Thursday evening, and its leader Muhammad Yunus will guide citizens through a “democratic process,” the country’s Army chief announced.
There was a flurry of activity on Wednesday, two days after the resignation of Sheikh Hasina as prime minister amid a mass movement blaming her for the more than 300 lives lost during protests since mid-July.
The home ministry announced a new chief of the controversial elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), a day after the chief of police was replaced. The country’s attorney general resigned. Central bank employees agitated against its allegedly corrupt governors. An appeals court made a significant acquittal.
And Yunus spoke publicly for the first time since he was named a day earlier to head the interim government, mainly calling for an end to fresh violence since Hasina fled to India.
“I congratulate the brave students who took the lead in making our Second Victory Day possible and to the people for giving your total support to them,” he said in a statement.
Citizens consider Dec. 16, 1971, Victory Day to mark the official surrender by the Pakistani army during Bangladesh’s war for independence.
“Let us not let this slip away because of our mistakes. I fervently appeal to everybody to stay calm. Please refrain from all kinds of violence. … This is our beautiful country with lots of exciting possibilities,” Yunus appealed.
“Violence is our enemy. Please don’t create more enemies. Be calm and get ready to build the country.”
Members of the paramilitary force Bangladesh Ansar guard the Shahbag police station amid attacks on police premises by unruly crowds, Dhaka, Aug. 7, 2024. (Sony Ramany/BenarNews) Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman, the Army chief, said on Wednesday that Yunus would return from Paris in time for the interim government’s members to take the oath.
“The swearing-in ceremony is expected to be held at Bangabhaban at 8 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday,” Waker told reporters. Bangabhaban is the president’s official residence.
He added that Yunus was “very eager” to begin work in the interim government.
“I am certain that he will be able to take us through a beautiful democratic process and that we will benefit from this,” Gen. Waker said.
Yunus won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for helping lift millions out of poverty by lending them small sums to start businesses and increase earnings.
University students who spearheaded a protest movement demanding more access to government jobs had proposed that Yunus head the interim government.
An appellate tribunal, meanwhile, cleared the decks for Yunus to assume leadership of the new administration by acquitting him in a labor laws violation case a day before the swearing-in ceremony.
He had been convicted and sentenced to six months in prison in the case, a ruling he had appealed. He was out on bail pending the verdict on the appeal, delivered Wednesday.
Yunus is stepping into the shoes of Hasina, who seemed to loathe him.
She believed he had blocked a global lending institution from financing a mega project in Bangladesh. He was subsequently barraged with a slew of legal cases that his supporters claimed were politically motivated.
‘Leadership failure’
Meanwhile, members of the police force abandoned their posts for the second consecutive day, fearing for their lives. Mobs attacked police stations after Hasina quit and decamped on Monday, when a fresh round of violence claimed at least 108 lives.
Protesters say that police and supporters of Hasina’s Awami League party were directly responsible for earlier deadly violence.
One of the first officials to be fired after Hasina fled was the country’s police chief, who was replaced on Tuesday.
Newly appointed Inspector General of Police Moinul Islam on Wednesday apologized for the police actions in recent weeks.
He said at a press conference that the “ambition” of some unprofessional members of the force led to the violent clashes.
Police officers violated human rights, “and leadership failure caused the death, injury and assault of many,” he said.
Relatives of people who went missing under the Awami League government stand in front of police office along Minto Road in Dhaka to appeal for the return of their kin, Aug. 7, 2024. (Md. Hasan/BenarNews) The new police chief promised an investigation and justice.
“We are committed to conducting a fair and impartial investigation into every recent killing of students, common people, and the police,” he said.
Moinul said he had instructed all members of the police force to rejoin their respective posts across the country by Thursday evening.
His predecessor, Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, was said to be partisan and a supporter of Hasina’s Awami League, observers said. He used to serve in the elite police unit Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and was one of six current or former officers the United States sanctioned in December 2021 for gross human rights violations.
The U.S. had imposed financial sanctions on RAB as well, for “undermining the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the economic prosperity of the people of Bangladesh.”
Critics said that Hasina politicized state institutions and security forces, making them agents of her ambition to stay in power and crush dissent.
Others who resigned or were fired on Wednesday included the PM’s chief secretary, the attorney general, and, according to media reports, four deputy governors of Bangladesh’s central bank.
Around 200 employees of the bank, which is called Bangladesh Bank, stormed its premises, demanding the resignation of the central bank governor, four deputy governors, advisers and the head of the financial intelligence unit, alleging they were responsible for corruption in the banking sector.
The road ahead
Analysts told BenarNews that the interim government has to depoliticize the security forces, judiciary and all state institutions, because only then can a free, fair and credible election be held.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Tuesday that this new administration needs to listen to the Bangladeshi people.
“[A]ny decisions that the interim government makes need to respect democratic principles, need to uphold the rule of law, need to reflect the will of the people,” he said.
The International Crisis Group, an independent organization that is committed to preventing war and conflict, on Wednesday said Bangladesh’s interim government will have the tasks of maintaining order and running the country until new national elections can be held.
“The [Bangladesh] constitution states that a general election should take place within 90 days of parliament being dissolved,” the group said in a statement on Wednesday.
“So far at least, neither Waker nor any other army officer seems eager to hold power for longer than necessary.”
The makeup of the interim government is still unknown, and may only be revealed during the oath-taking Thursday evening.
For ICG, this issue is vital to Bangladesh’s immediate future.
“The key will be to ensure that the protest movement is capably represented,” ICG’s statement said.
“If calm is to be restored, those who risked and sacrificed the most to compel Hasina to resign – namely, the students who initiated the protest movement – should have a meaningful voice in the government’s counsels, rather than find themselves sidelined by conservative generals and opportunistic politicians.”
BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by BY Kamran Reza Chowdhury for BenarNews.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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A video of several men sitting in front of a large number of mobile phones has been repeatedly shared in Chinese-language social media posts that claim it shows the Chinese Communist Party’s cyber army.
But the claim is false. The video shows a Vietnamese marketing company, which was posted on the company’s Facebook page.
The claim was shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, on June 30, 2024.
“Please take a look at this: How dozens of accounts are controlled by one person of the Chinese Communist Party’s cyber army thugs to attack and abuse, create rumors and intimidate people on the internet,” reads the claim.
It was shared along with a 24-second video that shows several men sitting in front of a large number of mobile phones.
China employs a variety of deceptive and coercive methods as it attempts to influence the international information environment, seeking to maximize the reach of biased or false pro-China content, such as sponsoring online influencers or harassing individual content producers, the U.S. Department of State said in a report in September 2023.
There have also been media reports about China operating a so-called internet water army, a group of users who are paid to post online comments with vested interest on Chinese language websites, or the “50 cent army,” a group of state-backed internet commenters who create and promote positive narratives about China.
The video was also shared on X and YouTube with similar claims such as it is a “leaked footage of a Chinese bot farm”.
Social media influencers posted a video purportedly showing paid pro-Beijing internet commentators at work. (Screenshots/X and YouTube) But the video in fact shows a Vietnamese marketing company, which was posted on the company’s Facebook page.
Original video
At the video’s 11-second mark, the logo “MINSoftware” can be seen.
Keyword searches found it is the name of a Vietnamese software company that says it provides digital marketing solutions that help manage social media fan pages as a means for companies to save on advertising and personnel expenses.
A man can also be heard in the video speaking Vietnamese, not a Chinese language.
Further searches found the video matches one of three videos the company published on Facebook in June to demonstrate its services.
The purported leaked footage was actually a promotional video for the Vietnamese marketing company MIN Software (Screenshot/Facebook) The company later issued a statement to note that the video was misused to spread false information about a certain religion, without mentioning China.
MINSoftware did not respond to requests for comment as of press time.
Translated by Shen Ke. Edited by Shen Ke and Taejun Kang.
Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) was established to counter disinformation in today’s complex media environment. We publish fact-checks, media-watches and in-depth reports that aim to sharpen and deepen our readers’ understanding of current affairs and public issues. If you like our content, you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Zhuang Jing for Asia Fact Check Lab.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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A rebel army in eastern Myanmar announced a four-day ceasefire shortly after a town under its control was hit by junta airstrikes, residents said.
The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, or MNDAA, captured Laukkaing, or Laukkai, town in northern Shan state on Sunday, after which the junta hit back, residents said.
A resident who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons told Radio Free Asia that a fighter jet fired at several hotels and residential areas in Laukkaing for 20 minutes, killing a civilian and wounding others.
“What we know is that the person who died was a guest staying at the Full Light International Hotel. More than 10 people were injured,” he said. “At the moment, civilians are not allowed to enter the area because it’s being cleared.”
MNDAA newspaper, The Kokang, identified the victim as a 37-year-old man named Wang. It said several other hotels were damaged in the attack.
Most Laukkaing residents are sheltering in their homes and closing their businesses for fear of more airstrikes, witnesses told RFA.
Destruction from junta airstrikes in Laukkaing on July 14, 2024. (The Kokang) RFA phoned MNDAA spokesperson Li Kya Win and its head of external relations, Gen. Phone Win Naing, for more details on the fighting but they did not answer calls.
A reporter also attempted to contact Shan state’s junta spokesperson Khun Thein Maung and national junta spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun for comment, but those calls also went unanswered.
However, a junta account on social messaging app Telegram said Laukkaing was bombed because some MNDAA leaders were living in the town.
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The MNDAA is a member of the Three Brotherhood Alliance that launched Operation 1027 last October to seize territory from the junta. It said it had captured seven towns, including Chinshwehaw, Hseni and Kunlong since Operation 1027 began and was implementing its own administration, regional development, education and health sectors.
In January, China brokered a state-wide ceasefire between junta and alliance forces, bringing them together for talks in the Chinese city of Yunnan in May. At the time it said it was concerned fighting would affect border stability and trade between the two countries.
Three Brotherhood Alliance members the Ta’ang National Liberation Army broke the ceasefire in late June, blaming junta airstrikes for the resumption of hostilities. Since then, the alliance has captured dozens of bases across Shan state and Mandalay region.
The MNDAA said the latest ceasefire will run from Monday through Thursday, although residents said both armies have continued to fire weapons near Laukkaing. In a statement Sunday, it said the ceasefire was called as a result of China’s concerns, although it didn’t specify what those concerns were.
Since the resumption of Operation 1027, alliance forces have been trying to seize control of Lashio, the capital of northern Shan state, where fighting has raged for weeks and killed over a dozen civilians.
Political analyst Than Soe Naing said the junta attack on Laukkaing was probably in retaliation for that attack.
“[The MNDAA] took part in Operation 1027, in the second wave of the Spring Revolution. The next thing that happened was that the junta’s most important town, Lashio, was targeted and attacked by four military columns,” he said. “I believe the junta bombarded Laukkaing in response to that.”
Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Burmese.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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Ethnic minority insurgents seized two junta bases in Myanmar’s west and killed more than 750 soldiers, the group said in a statement, as its fighters close in on the main town in the west of Rakhine state, and make advances in the south.
Radio Free Asia was not able to independently verify the Arakan Army’s report of advances and casualties among the junta forces it is battling, but residents of both regions have been reporting heavy fighting for weeks, as the insurgents advance towards Maungdaw town and to the south, battle for control of Thandwe town.
RFA tried to contact Rakhine state’s junta spokesperson, Hla Thein, to check on the situation but he did not respond by the time of publication.
The Arakan Army, which has been fighting the military regime for territory in Myanmar’s Rakhine and Chin states, has captured 10 townships since late last year, part of a series of setbacks the junta that seized power in a 2021 coup has suffered in different regions.
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In June, the Arakan Army, or AA, told civilians to evacuate Maungdaw township, a trade hub on the border with Bangladesh, where fighting had been escalating for weeks.
The AA captured a border guard camp near Maungdaw town on Saturday at around noon, killing more than 350 junta troops and seizing weapons, the group said in a statement.
A resident told Radio Free Asia on Monday that fighting had since moved closer to Maungdaw as the AA attempted to capture the last base in the area, known as the No. 5 border guard post.
Civilians in the city said they were afraid of getting caught up in the approaching fighting.
“Junta soldiers and some Muslim armed men trained by them have been stationed near the town’s mosque,” said one resident who declined to be identified for security reasons.
“I don’t know what will happen. We’re watching the situation carefully.”
One civilian was killed and several were wounded when an artillery shell exploded on Saturday, residents said.
The other main battle in Rakhine state has been taking place over the town of Thandwe, about 350 km (217 miles) southwest of Maungdaw.
The AA said in a statement on Saturday it captured the headquarters of the No. 566 Light Infantry Battalion and nearby junta camps in the Thandwe area on June 27, including one at Thandwe Airport.
Residents of the area, home to one of Myanmar’s main beach resorts, had earlier reported that the airport had fallen to the AA on June 23.
The AA said its fighters had killed about 400 junta troops and seized weapons and ammunition during the clashes in the Thandwe area. There had been casualties for the AA, the group said, but it did not give details.
The rebels are trying to capture the junta’s last main base in the area, the headquarters of the No. 55 Light Infantry Battalion, the group said, adding that junta forces from some 10 nearby bases were mounting a defense of the area by land and sea.
The AA said it was trying to cut off the junta’s main headquarters in four Rakhine state townships, including Danyawaddy Naval Base in Kyaukphyu and the Western Regional Military Headquarters in the town of Ann.
Danyawaddy is part of the Kyaukphyu deep sea port complex and a special economic zone that is being developed by China. The development is due to include energy pipelines that will stretch across Myanmar to the Chinese border.
Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Burmese.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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All roads have been blocked out of the key city of Maungdaw in western Myanmar, where the ethnic insurgent Arakan Army has warned the remaining 20,000 civilians of an imminent battle with military junta troops, residents told Radio Free Asia.
The Arakan Army, or AA, told residents on Sunday that they should evacuate their homes by 9 p.m.
But many residents were unable to leave the city near the Bangladesh border because junta troops had already set up barricades, a Rohingya man who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals told RFA.
“The junta has taken its positions near and inside the city. People have no way out,” he said. “The death toll may increase due to the battle.”
People stand by a destroyed building following fighting between Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army ethnic minority armed group, May 21, 2024, in a village in Minbya township in western Rakhine state. (AFP) The Arakan Army has recently seized control of all junta camps in surrounding Maungdaw township, including several key border posts.
Attacking the city of Maungdaw – the township’s administrative center and an important base for junta forces in Rakhine state – is the next target, the AA said in a statement.
Junta troops have “prepared extensively for urban warfare” and residents “are urged to avoid staying in areas such as roads and houses from which the SAC forces have fortified positions,” the AA said, using the initials for the State Administrative Council, the formal name for the military junta.
Maungdaw is a key trade hub for goods flowing in and out of Myanmar via Bangladesh.
Rohingya in military uniforms
The junta has been training Rohingya men in recent months, and some of those new recruits may be used in the upcoming battle. Residents told RFA that Rohingya in junta uniforms and weapons have been seen at military camps inside the city.
The junta has been desperate to recruit new soldiers as its ranks are depleted by battlefield losses and mass surrenders to rebel forces.
Arakan Army soldiers pose for a photo in June 2024 in Myanmar. (AA Info Desk via Telegram) Rohingyas have been persecuted for decades in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.
Both sides have pressed Rohingyas into their ranks and at the same time have accused Rohingyas of helping their rivals. Reports suggest that both the AA and junta forces have subjected members of the Muslim minority to violence.
Ethnic group trapped
Also trapped are about 600 Mro ethnic people who have been taking shelter at a Buddhist monastery after fleeing from two nearby villages, residents said.
They’re facing shortages of food and medical supplies, an aid worker told RFA on condition of anonymity because of security reasons.
“We need to ask permission to rescue them,” the aid worker said. “Both the AA and the junta are there, and we don’t know who will be responsible for the permission.”
Arakan Army soldiers pose for a photo in June 2024 in Myanmar. (AA Info Desk via Telegram) The AA, which in November ended a ceasefire that had been in place since the military’s February 2021 coup d’etat, announced on May 18 that it had captured all military camps in Buthidaung township, which borders Maungdaw township.
It now occupies nine townships in Rakhine state, as well as Paletwa township in neighboring Chin state.
Attempts by RFA to contact Hla Thein, the junta’s spokesman and attorney general for Rakhine state, by telephone on Monday were unsuccessful.
Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Matt Reed.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Burmese.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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A video of a young man wearing what appears to be a military uniform has been widely shared in Chinese-language social media posts that claim it shows a Taiwanese youth serving in China’s People’s Liberation Army, or the PLA.
But the claim is false. The young man in the video is a member of a color guard unit at a Chinese university, not the PLA.
The claim was shared on the Weibo Chinese social media platform on May 26, 2024.
“A young man from Taiwan is a soldier on the mainland!” reads the post in part.
“Mainland” is a term often used to refer to China among Chinese speakers.
The claim was shared alongside a 31-second video that shows a young man wearing what appears to be a PLA camouflage uniform at training exercises.
The young man can be heard saying that he has a Taiwanese mother and a Chinese father and that he is from Taipei.
But the claim is false. The young man in the video is a member of a color guard unit at a Chinese university, not the PLA.
University color guard
A reverse image search using screenshots from the video found the same video published on the Chinese news and video sharing site Sohu.
“On May 26, in Tianjin, retired military personnel met a student from Taiwan while training for a color guard unit at Nankai University,” the title of the Sohu video reads in part. The university is in the Chinese city of Tianjin.
A closer look at the video revealed that the armband of a young Taiwanese man matched that of the Nankai University color guard unit.
The color guard at Chinese universities is a “quasi-military student organization” with the job of conducting the daily flag raising and lowering ceremonies, as well as doing so on various holidays and commemorations.
It is not affiliated with the PLA.
Joseph Wen, a part-time researcher at the Taiwan Institute of Strategic Modeling who created an interactive map detailing the PLA military facilities and bases across China, said the young man in the video was wearing the PLA’s outdated Type 07 camouflage, but that the PLA now uses Type 21 camouflage for its uniforms.
A closer look at a screenshot of the video shared in false posts. Wen also pointed out that the man standing in front of the young man is not wearing any symbols of rank, indicating that he has retired from the military.
Translated by Shen Ke. Edited by Shen Ke and Taejun Kang.
Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) was established to counter disinformation in today’s complex media environment. We publish fact-checks, media-watches and in-depth reports that aim to sharpen and deepen our readers’ understanding of current affairs and public issues. If you like our content, you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Dong Zhe for Asia Fact Check Lab.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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We speak with U.S. Army Major Harrison Mann, the first military and intelligence officer to publicly resign over the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s war on Gaza. Mann left his role at the Defense Intelligence Agency after a 13-year career, saying in a public letter explaining his resignation that “nearly unqualified support for the government of Israel … has enabled and empowered the killing and starvation of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians.” Mann submitted his resignation on November 1, just over three weeks into Israel’s assault on Gaza, but his separation from the military became effective last week. “Even in the first weeks after October 7 … it was really clear that they were prepared to inflict huge numbers of civilian casualties,” Mann tells Democracy Now! “I understood that every day that I was going to go into the office, I was going to be contributing to the Israeli campaign.” Mann also explains how his Jewish background impacted his decision to resign, saying that while he was proud to wear the same uniform of soldiers who liberated Nazi concentration camps during World War II, it was “impossible” not to see echoes of the Holocaust in the devastation of Gaza. “Seeing photos of charred bodies and burnt corpses and starved, emaciated children that are from 2023, 2024, not the '40s, it's impossible not to make that connection,” says Mann. “The situations are not perfectly analogous, but the moral similarities were very clear to me.”
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
