Hsipaw in Shan State and Laykaykaw in Karen State fall 

Sources on the frontline in Myawaddy Township of Karen State told DVB that regime forces recaptured Laykaykaw town, after it took back the Sweltawkone hilltop outpost from resistance forces, on Saturday. Ten members of the resistance were reported killed. Laykaykaw is located seven miles (11 km) south of Myawaddy, along the Burma-Thailand border and 89 miles (143 km) east of the Karen State capital Hpa-An.

“The military captured the entire town,” a member of the Karen resistance told DVB on the condition of anonymity. A regime counteroffensive was launched in Laykaykaw earlier this month. The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) took control of the regime’s hilltop outpost on Oct. 17, 2024. Nearly 3,000 residents from 10 villages in Laykaykaw fled their homes due to fighting between regime and KNLA-led resistance forces.

Regime forces also retook control of Hsipaw Township in northern Shan State from the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) on Oct. 16. Hsipaw, which was seized by the TNLA in October 2024, is located 45 miles (74 km) south of the regional capital Lashio. It is the third town in northern Shan taken by regime forces since it launched a counteroffensive against the TNLA in northern Shan and Mandalay Region in July. Read more

Magnitude 3.9 earthquake rattles Yangon residents

Residents of Insein, Mayangone, Hlaing, Kamaryut, Shwepyitha, and Hlaingtharyar townships in Yangon Region told DVB that an earthquake struck on Friday. A North Okkalapa Township resident told DVB that an elderly couple were injured in their home.

“She was hit by a bathroom door. Her husband was struck on the head by items falling from a shelf,” the North Okkalapa resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. “We panicked. Most people living in highrise buildings fled to the ground floor.” 

The regime’s Department of Meteorology and Hydrology reported that the earthquake measured a magnitude 3.6 with its epicenter one mile north-northwest of Mayangone Township at a depth of 15 meters. The National Unity Government (NUG) Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, along with international earthquake monitoring agencies, reported that the earthquake measured 3.9. Read more

Myanmar refugee community leader in Malaysia, Thuzar Maung with her husband Saw Than Tin Wan, and their three children; Poeh Khing Maung, Aung Myint Maung, and Thukha Maung, at their home in Kuala Lumpur in an undated photo. (Credit: MMRC)

Family missing in Malaysia reported in Myanmar detention

Regime media reported on Friday that Myanmar refugee rights activist Thuzar Maung and her family were arrested on an unspecified date after their “illegal” return to Myanmar from Malaysia. This comes over two years after Thuzar Maung, her husband Saw Than Tin Wan, and their three children disappeared from their family home in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on July 4, 2023. 

Regime media added that Thuzar Maung was charged in 2022 for violating Section 52(A) of the Counter-Terrorism Law by the Myittha Township Police Station in Mandalay Region “for providing funds and supporting the terrorist [National Unity Government].” A warrant for her arrest was issued on Jan. 31, 2023 – six months before she and her family disappeared without a trace from their family home in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

Thuzar Maung is the founder of the Myanmar Muslim Refugee Community (MMRC) and Myanmar Migrant Workers Committee (MMWC) – two refugee rights groups based in Malaysia. Following the family’s disappearance in July 2023, Malaysian police stated that they were investigating it as a missing persons case but provided no updates on the family’s disappearance after this. Read more

News by Region

YANGON—Motorcycle taxi drivers in Yangon told DVB that ward administrators and political parties, including the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), are offering 400,000 MMK ($98 USD) per month to provide security during the election campaign from Oct. 28 to Dec. 26.

A motorcycle taxi driver in Thaketa Township told DVB that recruitment is being carried out through local regime administrators. Motorcycle taxi drivers were told they would be allowed to carry sticks and knives while escorting political party members during the election campaign. 

SHAN—Military sources in Naypyidaw told DVB that the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) released 45 “prisoners” on Oct. 14 that it had detained in Lashio Township of northern Shan, which it seized along with the Northeastern Regional Military Command (RMC) headquarters in August 2024. 

A military source in Naypyidaw told DVB on the condition of anonymity that three majors, one colonel, one warrant officer first class, two warrant officers second class, and five sergeants were among the 45 prisoners released by the MNDAA. Read more

MANDALAY—Residents of Mogok Township and sources close to the TNLA told DVB on Wednesday that regime forces have launched a counteroffensive to retake the ruby mining town of Mogok, which was seized by the TNLA in July 2024, last month.

“It has artillery from ground forces [and] a considerable strength,” a source close to the TNLA told DVB. Mogok, located 124 miles (200 km) northeast of Mandalay, is a major source of revenue for both the regime and ethnic armed groups due to its ruby mines. Read more

(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,065 MMK)

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