Mingalaba. From now on, we will be presenting m.CDM’s domestic news updates.
The news we will share today are:
- Four civilians killed in Wetlet Township as the military commission attacks with jet fighters and drones
- One civilian killed and six injured in airstrikes on civilians by junta forces in Khin-U Township
- Aung San Suu Kyi’s son says he doubts the junta’s statements about her health
- KIO and MNDAA say they will not recognize the junta’s election and will not allow it to be held in territories under their control
Now, starting with the first item:
1. Four civilians killed as military commission attacks Wetlet Township with jet fighters and drones
m.CDM, 18 December
The military commission forces carried out airstrikes using jet fighters and drones on Settaung and Thitseint villages in Wetlet Township, Sagaing Region, according to the Wetlet Information Network.
At 8:31 p.m. on 17 December, a jet fighter from Meiktila Air Base bombed Settaung Village with two 250-pound bombs.
As a result of the explosions, U Nyunt Wae (around 70), his wife Daw Myint Kyi, Zeyar Htun (around 25), and a young woman of middle-school age were killed.
At least five other civilians were injured, and three houses and three vehicles were damaged or destroyed.
Similarly, at around 10:30 a.m. on 18 December, Infantry Battalion 12 from Kyauk Myaung carried out an air attack on Thitseint Village using two suicide drones. A monk and a child were injured in the attack.
2. One civilian killed and six injured in junta airstrikes on civilians in Khin-U Township
m.CDM, 18 December
The People’s Administration Committee of Khin-U Township reported on 18 December that junta forces used four jet fighters and three helicopters to launch an unprovoked air attack on civilians along the Byuha Road section in Khin-U Township, Sagaing Region.
The assault took place between about 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on 18 December. One innocent civilian was burned to death and six others were injured.
In addition, cargo trucks, fuel tankers, passenger vehicles, and roadside shops along the Byuha Road section were set on fire and destroyed.
The statement notes that the attack occurred at a time when vehicles were stuck in traffic because the junta had set up a checkpoint and blockade at Kyi Kyin, a border point between Khin-U and Kantbalu. The military deliberately targeted cargo trucks, fuel tankers, and civilian travelers, and there were no legitimate military targets in the area.
It also states that on 16 and 17 December, the junta carried out multiple air attacks on innocent civilian travelers along the jetties and river routes of the Ayeyarwady River, causing casualties.
The Khin-U Township People’s Administration Committee condemned these airstrikes as brutal acts of violence against civilians.
3. DKBA livestock farm in Buthidaung sub-township bombed with 500-lb bombs; five farm workers injured
m.CDM, 18 December
The military commission carried out an airstrike on a livestock farm owned by the DKBA No. (2) Strategic Battalion in Kyaing Chaung (Lay Wah Floe) Village, Buthidaung sub-township, Dooplaya District.
At about 5:30 p.m. on 17 December, the military commission dropped two 500-pound bombs on the farm compound.
Five members of the farm workers’ families were injured, and more than 20 cows were killed.
According to DKBA Colonel Saw Eh Wun, who spoke to KIC News, the targeted area is used for livestock and paddy-milling operations, and only worker families live there.
He added that on the morning of 21 January 2023, the military commission had also bombed the DKBA No. (2) strategic headquarters, destroying many of the DKBA family houses and office buildings.
4. PDF joint forces overrun junta outpost in Sin Ta Lin Village, Letpadan Township; 19 police and soldiers killed including Deputy Police Chief
m.CDM, 18 December
The Bago Region Military Command announced that on 16 December at 6:00 a.m., joint units under the People’s Defense Forces (PDF) captured a junta outpost in Sin Ta Lin Village, Letpadan Township, Thayarwaddy District, Bago Region.
The attack was carried out by units under Southern Military Region, Bago Regional Command, Strategy (22):
- Thayarwaddy District Battalion (3) (Myanmar Defense Force – MDF)
- Thayarwaddy District Battalion (2), Companies (2) and (3)
- Galoan People’s Defense Force
- Letpadan Township PDF special assault unit
- Thayarwaddy District PDF Shwe Tan Myay Assault Units (1) and (2)
- Yangon Region PDF Special Assault Unit (3)
- Asho Chin Defense Force (ACDF) Battalion (3)
The attack lasted about one hour against roughly 30 junta troops stationed at the outpost.
According to the statement, 18 junta personnel, including Deputy Police Chief Ye Lwin, a Warrant Officer, and two junior NCOs, were killed, and about five were injured. The remaining soldiers and police retreated to the Kwaun Chain Gate outpost.
At the same time, the resistance force also ambushed the Thant Pin Chaung outpost, from which reinforcements might have come, injuring two junta soldiers.
At about 3:00 p.m., when a reinforcement column of about 80 junta troops advanced again, a further clash lasting around 20 minutes took place near Taung Tan Myine Village, during which one junta soldier was seen killed and another injured.
In total, the statement says, 19 junta soldiers and police died and 7 were injured in these clashes. The joint resistance forces seized four MA-1 rifles, six MA-3 rifles, one G-3 rifle, one six-shot revolver, seven helmets, four mobile phones, three sets of uniforms, and large quantities of ammunition.
Four resistance fighters sustained minor injuries.
5. Township hospital in Tamar To Village, Ye-U Township, bombed from the air; buildings damaged
m.CDM, 18 December
The People’s Defense Forces in Ye-U reported that the junta’s military bombed the township hospital in Tamar To Village, Ye-U Township, Sagaing Region, causing damage to its buildings.
At around 10:00 p.m. on 17 December, a jet fighter from Tada-U Air Base flew in and bombed the Tamar To Village township hospital.
Although there were no civilian casualties in this attack, the hospital buildings within the compound sustained serious damage.
Htoo Khant Zaw (aka A May Thar), the news officer of the Ye-U Township PDF (Armed Wing), said that the jet fighter from Tada-U Air Base had attacked the township hospital, which is not a military target.
He also recalled that on 10 December, International Human Rights Day, the junta deliberately bombed the public district hospital in Mrauk-U, Rakhine State, killing 35 civilians and injuring 76 others.
6. Aung San Suu Kyi’s son voices doubt over junta’s statements on her health
m.CDM, 18 December
Kim Aris, the son of State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, wrote on social media on 18 December that he finds it hard to trust the junta’s claims that his mother is in good health, given the lack of evidence.
In his post, written in both English and Burmese, he said that years of propaganda and secrecy by the junta make it impossible to believe statements that come without proof.
Quoting from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, he used the idea that “the more someone over-defends and over-explains, the more suspicious it becomes.”
He urged that, if the junta wants anyone to believe them, the simple solution is to allow him to meet his mother, to permit independent verification, and to let the truth be seen clearly.
7. KIO and MNDAA say they will not recognize junta election and will not allow it in their territories
m.CDM, 18 December
The Kachin Independence Organization/Army (KIO/KIA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) have stated that they will not recognize the junta’s upcoming election and will not allow it to be held in areas they control.
KIO/KIA spokesperson Major General Naw Bu said in an interview with a news outlet:
“Regarding the election, the KIO/KIA does not support it. We do not recognize it. Elections will not be allowed in areas under KIA control.”
He added that fighting continues daily in Kachin State, with battles taking place every day in Bhamo, where junta forces are attacking continuously from air and ground, and that clashes are also occurring near Hkaunglanhpu.
Likewise, MNDAA spokesperson Nyi Wai Soe wrote on social media on 18 December that elections will not be allowed inside Special Region (1):
“In Special Region (1), elections are not allowed. Ballot boxes cannot be brought in, and polling stations cannot be opened.”
This clarification came after reports emerged that elections would be held in areas under MNDAA control outside Lashio. Nyi Wai Soe wrote that this was due to miscommunication and misunderstanding between the junta’s election commission and local authorities, and that:
“In the end, elections cannot be held inside Special Region (1).”
In Lashio, the junta controls 12 wards, while MNDAA controls 75 village tracts. As a result, elections can only realistically be held in Lashio town itself, and any attempt to hold elections in surrounding villages would require MNDAA’s consent.
8. European Union provides an additional €15 million in support to Myanmar communities
m.CDM, 18 December
The German Embassy in Myanmar announced on 18 December that the European Union has provided an additional €15 million in assistance to communities in Myanmar.
The EU said this additional funding is intended to help address the needs of communities affected by the current conflicts in Myanmar and to support humanitarian assistance.
According to the statement, this support is in addition to nearly €50 million already provided this year in humanitarian aid for addressing the hardships caused by the major earthquake in March and to top up regional emergency funds.
It is also reported that €14 million in development assistance has been earmarked for Rohingya refugees, the communities assisting Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, and other neighboring countries.
This year alone, €32 million in humanitarian assistance has been provided to Bangladesh.
The EU stated that it stands with the people of Myanmar, continues to respond to their needs, and supports their efforts to build a better future.
9. Junta propaganda accounts removed from Twitch, Facebook, YouTube and MediaFire
m.CDM, 18 December
Justice For Myanmar announced that Twitch, Facebook, YouTube, and MediaFire have removed propaganda accounts controlled and used by the junta’s Ministry of Information and the military’s Public Relations and Psychological Warfare Department.
Justice For Myanmar said it had written to the tech companies, challenging them on why they were allowing junta propaganda outlets to operate, and that, following this, those accounts were taken down.
Twitch removed the live-stream channels of MRTV and 14 Myanmar radio stations from its website and mobile apps, and also removed live video feeds embedded on the MITV website.
Facebook deleted the MITV page, and YouTube removed the Ministry of Information’s account from its platform.
(However, it is reported that YouTube has so far declined to remove the MITV channel.)
MITV, MRTV and Myanmar Radio are all under the junta’s Ministry of Information. MRTV broadcasts mainly in Burmese, while MITV broadcasts in English and is aimed at international audiences.
Facebook and file-hosting site MediaFire have deleted accounts belonging to Yatanarpon newspaper, which is known to be linked to Myawaddy newspaper, itself published by the military’s propaganda department.
Justice For Myanmar said that removing these junta-run propaganda accounts—operated by individuals and entities under sanctions in many countries—is an important step in curbing the junta’s ability to spread propaganda to people in Myanmar and internationally.
The group noted that it has also written to Alphabet (Google’s parent company), Apple, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Telegram, Cloudflare and ApkPure, but that, so far, these companies have not taken action against junta propaganda accounts on their platforms.
Justice For Myanmar called on all tech companies to remove the junta’s propaganda accounts that have been identified, and to cut off the regime’s access to their platforms.
The news presented today was sent in by Ko Thit Lulay and Kharshell.