Heavy rain causes flash flood in Naypyidaw
Rescue workers in Naypyidaw’s Tatkon Township told DVB that residents of more than 80 households were evacuated by boats from three villages due to flooding caused by heavy rainfall on Wednesday. Independent meteorologist Win Naing warned residents of Tatkon, as well as Mandalay’s Yamethin and Pyawbwe townships, to expect more heavy rain. Tatkon is located 37 miles (59 km) north of the capital Naypyidaw.
“The ground floor of our home is under water,” a Tatkon resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The regime’s Department of Meteorology and Hydrology estimated that heavy rain and wind will continue until Friday as Tropical Depression Kajiki weakened to a low pressure area as it crossed northern Thailand into Burma on Aug. 27.
The meteorological department predicts the storm will travel west into central Burma until Aug. 30. It warned residents in Naypyidaw, Mandalay and Magway regions, as well as in Shan State, to expect more rain, as well as potential flash floods and landslides. Those living near rivers and streams are advised to beware of floods while those living in the highlands are advised to be aware of the risk of landslides.
Karen National Union calls for boycott of regime elections
The Karen National Union (KNU) released a statement on Tuesday calling on the people of Burma to boycott the regime elections scheduled to begin in 102 townships on Dec. 28 as a matter of “national responsibility.” It accused the regime of rebranding itself as an interim administration in an attempt to legitimize military rule in Burma following the lifting of the state of emergency on July 31, which had been in place since the 2021 coup.
“The regime’s election is only to prolong military dictatorship and is not a solution to the current political crisis,” the KNU stated in a press release on Aug. 26. It added that the election will ignore the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) Five-Point Consensus, which calls for the release of all political prisoners and dialogue between the regime and its opponents.
Min Aung Hlaing agreed to the Five-Point Consensus but didn’t implement it upon his return to Burma in April 2021. The KNU was a signatory to the 2015 Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with the military. But fighting between the two sides restarted after the 2021 coup. In December 2024, the KNU recaptured its former headquarters at Manerplaw in Hpa-An District along the Thai–Burma border.
Voting machine demonstration in Ayeyarwady Region
Residents of Ingapu Township in Ayeyarwady Region told DVB that regime administrators in Tugyi town ordered each household to send at least one person to an electronic voting machine demonstration sponsored by the regime’s Union Election Commission (UEC) on Sunday. Ingapu is located 99 miles (159 km) north of the Ayeyarwady Region capital Pathein.
Residents who failed to show up to the demonstration were threatened with a fine of 15,000 MMK ($3.30 USD). A source in the administration told DVB that at least 100 residents received fines. A Tugyi resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity that attendees were told to vote for the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).
Pathein, Kyonpyaw, Maubin, Myaungmya, Kyangin, Myanaung, Labutta and Hinthada townships in Ayeyarwady Region are among the 102 constituencies where voting will begin on the first day of the regime’s scheduled elections on Dec. 28, according to the UEC. Ayeyarwady has 26 constituencies and all are under regime control.
News by Region
An aerial view of the Shan State capital Taunggyi. (Credit: DVB)
SHAN—Residents of Taunggyi told DVB that regime forces deployed at the Kywetatson checkpoint gate, located along the Kalaw-Tharzi highway in Tharzi Township of Mandalay Region, are restricting the transport of goods such as clothes, food, and mechanical devices since Saturday.
A shop owner in Taunggyi told DVB on the condition of anonymity that the prices of these goods have risen as a result. Cargo truck drivers and delivery companies claimed that a shortage of goods will also impact northern and eastern Shan, as well as in neighbouring Karenni State.
Pro-regime media reported that a man from Taunggyi was arrested on Sunday for comments made on social media regarding the upcoming elections. A source in Taunggyi said that the man was taken into custody after pro-military social media accounts shared his personal details.
The “General Elections Protection Law” – enacted on July 29 – stipulates that anyone convicted of “disrupting” elections can face a minimum three years in prison or a maximum sentence of the death penalty. Each offence may also carry fines of an unspecified amount. Shan State has 55 constituencies.
SAGAING—Residents of Butalin Township told DVB that two civilians were killed and at least three others were injured in airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force on a fuel station near Thawuttanal village on Tuesday. Butalin is located 23 miles (37 km) north of the region’s capital Monywa.
“Two jet fighters and paramotors carried out airstrikes,” a Butalin resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The village has nearly 500 households with most having already fled their homes. Resistance forces reported there was no fighting with regime forces when the strikes occurred.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,360 MMK)
