Mingalaba. From today onward, we will be presenting m.CDM’s domestic news updates.
The news items we will cover today are:
1. Around 50 personnel including a Special Military Region Operations Commander captured by KNU Brigade 4
2. Four civilians killed in an air strike at Kabut Village jetty on the Ayeyarwady River in Khin-U Township; bombings also carried out in Hpapun and Falam
3. Meik District Battalion 1 says a special investigation team has been formed to uncover the truth behind the murder of Daw Aye Thi Aung, a senior teacher, and her husband
4. Karenni State Civil Servants’ CDM Committee announces a new support scheme for CDM health workers in particularly difficult circumstances
Now, starting with item (1):
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### 1. Around 50 personnel including Special Military Region Operations Commander captured by KNU Brigade 4
**m.CDM, 17 December**
It is reported that around 50 personnel from the National Unity Government’s Ministry of Defense, People’s Defense Force (PDF), Special Military Region under Strategy (33), including its Operations Commander, were captured by KNU Brigade 4, Battalion 12.
Among those captured are Strategy (33) Operations Commander Saw Dar Koo, the commander Min Thar Gyi of Battalion T5 (under Dawei District Battalion 2), the deputy commander Dora of the Tanintharyi Region drone battalion, PDF fighters, and several logistics/support personnel, totalling around 50 people.
They were reportedly seized on the morning of 17 December in an area near the operations zone of KNU Brigade 4, Battalion 12, and weapons and ammunition in their possession were also confiscated.
Sources close to Strategy (33) say they were detained while traveling for work-related matters, and it is not yet known on what grounds they were captured.
It is understood that in recent days there have been tensions and frictions between some resistance forces operating in Dawei District and KNU Brigade 4, Battalion 12, and local people say this incident may be connected to that situation.
According to local accounts and the Dawei-based news agency Dawei Watch, those detained are being held by KNU Brigade 4, Battalion 12’s subordinate units: the Kasedo Kyar Unit and the “One Bead” Unit.
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### 2. Four civilians killed in air strike at Kabut Village jetty on the Ayeyarwady River in Khin-U Township; bombings also in Hpapun and Falam
**m.CDM, 17 December**
According to local sources, the military carried out more than 20 air strikes on Kabut Village, which lies on the bank of the Ayeyarwady River in Khin-U Township, Sagaing Region, killing four civilians.
On the afternoon of 17 December, junta jet fighters bombed the Kabut Village jetty, which is located near the border area between Sagaing and Mandalay Regions.
It is reported that the military is prioritizing roads and jetties used by internally displaced people (IDPs) as targets for attack.
Similarly, in KNU-controlled territory under Brigade 5 in Hpapun District, the military used a Y-12 aircraft to drop about 30 bombs between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m. on 16 December.
Each bombing run involved dropping about three bombs, and there were around ten such runs. After reconnaissance, both ground and aerial targets were selected, according to reports.
The junta army and its allied BGF and DKBA forces, which have repeatedly tried to launch ground offensives, have been unable to advance for over four months at Waw Lay, and engagements are also occurring in other areas including Tot Gyi west of Waw Lay.
Additionally, local news reports say the military dropped more than 20 bombs from the air yesterday near Khun Li Village in the southeastern part of Falam Township, Chin State.
The bombs were dropped at two locations on the outskirts of Khun Li Village. Although there were no human casualties, the area is used for grazing livestock, and animals are believed to have been injured or killed.
On 16 December, at the upper reaches of Khun Li Village along the Manipur River, around 300 junta troops retreating from Bual Khua Village descended to the river, and contact was made with resistance forces.
As the junta forces are in a position to push their columns either from the Manipur River towards Falam town or towards the border at Tio River, many villagers across the township have fled to safer locations, and some have even fled as far as Mizoram State in India.
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### 3. Meik District Battalion 1 says a special investigation team has been formed over the murder of senior teacher Daw Aye Thi Aung and her husband
**m.CDM, 17 December**
Meik District Battalion 1 has announced that a special investigation team has been formed to uncover the truth behind the murder of senior teacher Daw Aye Thi Aung and her husband in Sa Kheh Village, Palaw Township, Tanintharyi Region.
On 17 December, the battalion publicized the current situation of its efforts to investigate and clarify the facts of the case.
According to reports, Daw Aye Thi Aung, a senior teacher who lived in Sa Kheh Village in Palaw Township and played a leading role in advancing the education and literacy of the local children, and her husband were brutally murdered in their home at around 1:00 a.m. on 16 December.
Meik District Battalion 1 strongly condemned this as an inhuman and violent act, noting that it was a cruel killing of innocent civilians and good, dedicated public servants in the education sector.
The battalion said it has formed a special investigation team led by Meik District Battalion 1 together with allied organizations to apprehend those responsible and ensure they are held legally accountable, and that they are working to bring the full truth to light.
The People’s Defense Force Meik District Battalion 1 has appealed to the public to report any information they may have regarding the perpetrators to battalion officers in confidence, saying that they will make every effort to track them down wherever they may have fled.
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### 4. Military commission column burns villages and arrests three locals in Paukkhu Township
**m.CDM, 17 December**
According to the Humanitarian Affairs Department of Paukkhu Township, a military commission column burned villages and arrested three local residents in Paukkhu Township, Pakokku District, Magway Region.
The column of more than 100 troops, which left Shwe Bon Thar Pyu Village, burned down three homes in Chaung Wa Village on 16 December and arrested three civilians, before moving on to Sa Thein Village.
It is reported that on 17 December the same column burned down several civilian houses in Sa Thein Village for a second time.
This column initially left Paukkhu town’s KPaSa (24) base with around 150 troops on 3 December, reached Shwe Bon Thar Pyu Village on 9 December, and has been conducting operations in nearby villages since then.
The column has also been looting and carrying off civilian property, and because it has been arresting and killing civilians, about 2,300 households—nearly 10,000 people—from 13 villages have been forced to flee as IDPs.
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### 5. Karenni State Civil Servants’ CDM Committee announces new support scheme for CDM health workers in hardship
**m.CDM, 17 December**
On 17 December, the Karenni State Civil Servants’ CDM Committee (KCDM) announced a new program to provide financial support, with priority given to CDM health workers facing particularly difficult conditions.
The support will be provided using funds obtained through the CDM Medical Network from the Spring Lottery. The committee stated that it is continuing its existing programs to assist the families of fallen CDM members and those who have lost limbs or suffered serious injuries while in the movement.
The statement adds that the committee is also working to support CDM workers in other departments who are facing hardship.
Health workers from the CDM who are in difficult circumstances can now register with the committee, starting from today. After verifying CDM status and confirming the severity of each person’s situation, support will be provided under a priority system based on the amount of funds available.
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### 6. South Korean lawmakers strongly condemn Myanmar military’s human rights violations and illegal election
**m.CDM, 17 December**
Eighteen members of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, from both the ruling and opposition parties, have issued a joint statement condemning the Myanmar military’s human rights violations and strongly opposing the planned illegal election the junta is trying to force through.
In the statement led by Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Won-seung, they denounce the junta’s human rights abuses and its attempt to hold an illegal election, and call for the restoration of peace and democracy in Myanmar.
The statement notes that since the coup, the Myanmar military has been using force and committing human rights violations against the population. Citing a report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), it states that at least 6,000 civilians have been killed and more than 3.5 million people have been displaced since the coup.
It also cites as an example the air strike on a hospital in Rakhine State on 10 December, which killed 34 civilians.
The election that the junta plans to hold on 28 December is described as an illegal election that does not conform to democratic principles and is merely a ploy to legitimize military rule under the guise of an electoral process.
The statement presents three key demands to the Myanmar military:
1. Immediately cease violent attacks and guarantee freedom of expression and inclusive political dialogue.
2. Form an inclusive election commission that does not exclude political forces, and ensure credible, trustworthy electoral procedures.
3. Guarantee unrestricted access to humanitarian aid for all people in the country, including ethnic minorities.
It also notes that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has been urged to issue an arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlaing for crimes against the Rohingya and for human rights violations committed since the coup.
The lawmakers emphasize that they categorically reject any attempt, by any means, to legitimize violence and human rights abuses. They state their belief that only a free and fair election, inclusive political dialogue, and people-centered democracy can determine Myanmar’s future.
This statement follows a request made by NUG Foreign Minister Daw Zin Mar Aung during a hearing at the South Korean National Assembly, in which she called on the Assembly to issue a declaration condemning the junta’s illegal election.
Leading lawmaker Lee Won-seung said that neither the international community nor South Korea should merely sit and watch as Myanmar’s democracy is destroyed. He pointed out that if an illegal military rule had succeeded in South Korea last year, the country might now be facing a situation similar to Myanmar’s.
He added that Myanmar’s Spring Revolution is not just about democracy in one country, but a fundamental cause for Asia and for all humanity to protect together.
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### 7. KNU announces closure and seizure of Shunda Park fraud compound under Kawthoolei law, to be used as a modern education campus
**m.CDM, 17 December**
The Karen National Union (KNU) announced on 17 December that all online fraud operations inside the Shunda Park fraud compound in Min Lat Pan, Myawaddy Township, Karen State, have been completely shut down, and that there are no fraud workers left inside the compound.
It further stated that, in order to prevent the compound from ever again being used for criminal activity, and to repurpose it for public benefit, it has been sealed and taken over in accordance with the Kawthoolei legal system.
The emergency warning it issued on 6 December noted that security conditions around the compound remained extremely dangerous, and as of today there has been no improvement. The junta is conducting three separate military operations targeting the area.
Shunda Park and nearby IDP camps are being targeted daily with artillery and drone attacks. Shells have also landed near people waiting on the sandbanks of the Thaungyin River to return home.
The statement says that from 6 December onward, some of those still remaining in the compound deliberately burned mattresses and blankets both inside and outside the buildings, burned piles of trash moved near the structures, and set fire to storage facilities, shop rows and general stores.
Because of this instability, it became increasingly difficult to accurately tally how many fraud workers remained inside the compound.
From 30 November onward, 177 foreign nationals waiting on the sandbank of the Thaungyin River to return home—including 31 Malaysians and one Russian—were safely transferred to the Thai side on 8 December. The remaining people, due to the intensity of the fighting, risked their lives to cross the river and escape. Between 10 and 14 December, around 160–250 individuals left the area.
Most of those people were Chinese nationals, but there were also citizens of India, Nepal, Taiwan, Pakistan, Vietnam and Ethiopia. Some had remained inside the compound until then and later changed their minds and registered with the KNU.
On 14 December, the KNU confirmed that all fraud workers had left both the sandbank and the Shunda Park compound, and that no one remained inside. For this reason, it stopped providing cooked rice on the sandbank and dismantled the shelters on 15 December.
It stated that because the clearance of the compound has now been completed after more than three weeks of operations since 21 November, everyone who had been trafficked there or who wanted to return home has been able to leave, and the cross-border scam operations have been successfully brought to an end.
Computers, mobile phones and other items of evidentiary value have been confiscated and some have already been handed over to the relevant authorities. The remaining items have been inventoried and recorded.
Therefore, the KNU says, the compound has been sealed off so that it can never again be used for criminal activity and is intended to be used for public benefit in the future as a modern education campus. It says this will be done transparently and in consultation with local communities.
The statement adds that these activities will be carried out in cooperation with domestic and international partners as part of efforts to suppress criminal gangs, protect human dignity, and strengthen accountable administration.
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The news presented today was sent in by Ko Thit Lulay and Kharshell.