Hello, and from this time onward we will be presenting m.CDM’s domestic news updates.
The news we are presenting today includes:
- NUG Ministry of Foreign Affairs deputy ministers meet with Japanese legal experts and representatives of civil society organizations.
- The military bombed Myaung and Katha, killing civilians including two children and one Buddhist monk; villages were also raided and burned in Chaung-U and Pakokku.
- CNF Chairman urges all Chin people to serve in the armed resistance, saying armed struggle is now the only option to uproot dictatorship.
- In Kanma, workers delivering purified water were seized as porters, forcing a factory to shut down; forced arrests are also being carried out in Monywa, Wundwin, Naga areas, and Yangon.
We will also be presenting other related reports.
⸻ - CNF Chairman urges all Chin people to take up military duty, saying armed struggle is now the only option to completely uproot dictatorship
m.CDM, March 20
To completely eradicate Myanmar’s military dictatorship, there is now no option left other than armed revolution, said Pu Zing Cung, Chairman of the Chin National Front (CNF).
He made the remark in a speech delivered at the ceremony marking the 38th Chin Revolution Day on March 20.
The CNF Chairman pointed out that although efforts had previously been made to resolve political problems through the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), the military broke its promises and continued to rely only on force.
He said that although political solutions had been pursued, the military had staged coups three times, leaving armed resistance as the only way to move toward a new political system free from military domination.
Looking back at Chin history, he explained that because the Chin did not have a force capable of defending their own territory, they fell under British rule, and even after independence they had endured more than 60 years of oppression under Burman chauvinism and military dictatorship.
Therefore, at this time when the people’s revolution is entering its decisive final stage, he strongly urged all adult Chin people to fulfill military duty with a sense of national responsibility.
He also said that, if necessary, all Chin people must take up arms to defend Chinland.
In addition, while honoring the fallen martyrs, he called on the entire Chin population to continue supporting and participating in the struggle in unity until the goal is achieved and until a federal democratic union emerges.
At present, in areas controlled by Chin revolutionary forces, judicial mechanisms are operating in accordance with Chin traditional customs, and public services such as education and healthcare are already being administered by the Chin government, according to reports.
On the other hand, fierce fighting is continuing as junta forces are launching major ground and air offensives in an attempt to retake Falam in northern Chin State.
⸻ - Military airstrikes in Myaung and Katha kill civilians including two children and one monk; villages burned in Chaung-U and Pakokku
m.CDM, March 20
In Sagaing Region’s Myaung and Katha townships, junta forces carried out airstrikes on villages where civilians live, killing residents including two children and one Buddhist monk, according to reports.
At around 11 a.m. on March 20, a fighter jet from Tada-U Air Base reportedly bombed Nabaik San Pya village in Myaung Township twice.
During the airstrike, a 20-day-old infant was hit by bomb shrapnel and died on the spot, and a 50-year-old woman was also killed.
In addition, six local residents were seriously injured, five houses were damaged, and some people were reportedly trapped under collapsed buildings.
Similarly, in Katha, fighting broke out in the morning between Infantry Battalion 309 and resistance forces, after which, at around 10 a.m., junta forces dropped bombs on the town from aircraft.
A four-story monastery sheltering war-displaced civilians in Ward 3 and the Panpe Kone quarter were deliberately targeted, resulting in the death of one monk and other civilian casualties, including one child.
At present, phone and internet lines around Katha have been cut, so the exact number of casualties has not yet been confirmed.
In addition, in Chaung-U Township, junta troops entered and occupied Ngan Shyan village from 8 a.m. until nearly 4 p.m. on March 19 and burned homes, according to reports.
Ngan Shyan village, which has more than 1,800 households, has now been burned for the fifth time, with more than 30 houses reduced to ashes.
Likewise, in Pakokku Township, Magway Region, a Pyu Saw Htee column that came out of Aung Thar village reportedly raided Ku Kyun village on the morning of March 20 and burned houses there.
⸻ - Yinmabin District Battalion 35 says its camp may be burned down, but its firm spirit cannot be destroyed
m.CDM, March 20
Yinmabin District Battalion 35 said that although its camp could be burned down with the guidance of some members of Bo Nagar’s BNRA unit, who had defected to the terrorist military group, its steadfast spirit could never be destroyed.
The statement was made in a March 19 release concerning the destruction of Yinmabin District Battalion 35’s camp.
The battalion said that although it had been raided with the help of some BNRA members who had sought refuge with the terrorist military, advance warning allowed its soldiers to relocate safely without casualties.
The terrorist military attacked and burned the camp of Yinmabin District Strategy 47, Battalion 35, with heavy weapons on March 7.
Although the battalion was simultaneously facing junta forces on a frontline battlefield, it said that the remaining personnel at the camp were still able to move some important materials and equipment.
The military reportedly burned buildings in the camp, personal items used by People’s Defense Force soldiers, five motorcycles, and production materials.
The battalion said that while the coup military may be able to burn down a camp, it cannot destroy the steadfast determination to restore the federal democracy and justice that the people long for.
⸻ - Bagan-Nyaung-U Local Alliance formed to resist large-scale junta offensives
m.CDM, March 20
A local alliance has been formed in order to resist junta troops advancing in large numbers into Nyaung-U Township in Mandalay Region, according to 21 Bagan – People Defense Force.
The group said the country is currently undergoing major political shifts, and the military is trying to regain control over areas in the Bagan-Nyaung-U region that it had lost, launching large-scale offensives, arresting and killing local civilians, looting civilian property, and setting homes on fire.
It said the Bagan-Nyaung-U Local Organization was formed so that these brutal military columns could be met with counteroffensives and so that already-liberated territory could be firmly held and administered.
The alliance, formed on March 19, includes 21 Bagan – People Defense Force, DYT guerrilla force, Bagan-Garuda Secret Force, and Tiger Warrior Force.
⸻ - KNDF ambushes junta column on the Hta Le–Nan Phe road, killing seven and seizing five weapons
m.CDM, March 20
The Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) announced that it ambushed junta troops conducting a military operation and road security patrol on the Hta Le–Nan Phe road in Karenni State, forcing them into disorderly retreat.
The attack took place on March 17 against junta forces that had come out to secure the road, and about seven soldiers were killed while many others were injured, according to the statement.
The KNDF said resistance forces then pursued the battered junta troops with momentum, causing them to flee in chaos, and seized five weapons along with ammunition.
It also said that on February 27, resistance forces had ambushed a junta column near Nan Phe village, killing some soldiers and capturing one small arm.
Although the junta has been boasting that it has secured the route from southern Shan State along the Fruso–Bawlakhe–Hpasawng corridor under its so-called “Yan Naing Min” operation, reports indicate that on the ground its columns continue to be crushed, its convoys attacked and destroyed, and casualties remain high.
Because the battered junta is increasingly resorting to airstrikes against civilian-populated areas, the KNDF strongly urged the public to remain especially alert to air attack dangers.
⸻ - AA grants amnesty to some prisoners of war despite continued junta airstrikes
m.CDM, March 20
The Arakan Army (AA) announced on March 20 that it had granted amnesty to some of the prisoners of war captured during battles to seize towns in Rakhine State.
At the amnesty ceremony held on March 14, family members of the prisoners reportedly delivered words of thanks.
During urban seizure battles in Rakhine, the AA had captured and detained thousands of junta soldiers and family members as prisoners of war, including senior officers of brigadier-general rank.
In early February 2024, Brigadier General Zaw Min Htun, commander of Military Operations Command 9, was captured in the battles of Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, and Minbya. Brigadier General Thuriya Tun, commander of Military Operations Command 15, was captured in the Maungdaw battle. During the fighting in Ann and the Western Command headquarters, Deputy Regional Commander Brigadier General Thaung Tun and Chief of Staff Brigadier General Kyaw Kyaw Than were also captured.
At the same time, the junta has repeatedly carried out airstrikes on locations where AA-held prisoners of war are detained, effectively killing its own personnel.
On March 8, the junta also bombed an AA prisoner-of-war detention camp in the Dalet Chaung area of Ann Township from the air.
According to the AA, that attack killed 116 prisoners of war, including many military officers, and injured 32 others, while some civilian detainees were also killed or wounded.
⸻ - Purified water delivery workers seized as porters in Kanma, forcing factory closure; forced arrests also ongoing in Monywa, Wundwin, Naga area, and Yangon
m.CDM, March 20
Forced military recruitment and porter seizures by junta forces are worsening daily across the country, and in Kanma, Magway Region, workers delivering purified water were seized by the military as porters, forcing a factory to shut down.
Workers from the Soe Pyae Star purified water factory were taken around 3 p.m. while delivering water in Kanma. The factory owner sadly announced that the plant had to close because the remaining workers were now too afraid to go outside.
In Thayet and Kanma townships, soldiers are reportedly entering homes and shops to seize people as porters, and around 17 people were arrested within four days.
In the Naga Self-Administered Area, Lahe Township, residents said administrator Win Maung has been taking bribes from those who can afford to pay in exchange for exemptions, while forcibly arresting other civilians and selling them as substitutes.
On the night of March 13, in Deingalain San Pya village, he reportedly broke down a house door, arrested Ko Htun Wai, a member of a Naga literature promotion group, and personally delivered him to the military based in Homalin.
In Monywa, Sagaing Region, the military reportedly seized 32 young people in a single day on March 19 while they were going to and returning from work, using civilian vehicles and Dyna trucks.
The arrests reportedly took place across many parts of the town, including Strand Road, the Union Highway, and the industrial zone, and the detainees have still not been able to contact their families.
In Wundwin Township, Mandalay Region, the military also conducted sweeps for three consecutive days from March 18 to 20, raiding the town and around 20 villages with large vehicles and seizing about 40 young people as porters.
People sleeping at home in the early morning, those delivering alms food to monasteries, and even those heading to work in the fields were reportedly arrested on sight.
In Yangon, a ward administrator said the junta has directly instructed administrators to provide 10 people per ward as quickly as possible for porter duty.
As a result, ward administrators are going house to house demanding household lists, while soldiers and police in civilian clothes and civilian vehicles are carrying out arrests, leaving at least 10 young people disappearing every day in Yangon and many facing detention, threats, and extortion.
⸻ - NUG deputy foreign ministers meet Japanese legal experts and civil society representatives
m.CDM, March 20
Deputy ministers from the National Unity Government (NUG) Ministry of Foreign Affairs met on March 19 with Japanese legal experts and representatives of civil society organizations, according to a statement released by the ministry on March 20.
The ministry said Deputy Ministers Dr. Sasa Khai Mung and David Hkwng Awng held a constructive discussion with a Japanese delegation composed of legal experts and civil society representatives.
During the discussion, the Japanese delegation shared their work and experience in promoting human rights at regional and international levels, including cooperation with the United Nations Human Rights Council.
They also shared that through long-term cooperation with Myanmar legal networks, they have been supporting training and capacity-building programs for ethnic youth.
It was also discussed how, since the military coup, they have had to adapt their work to cross-border realities, focusing in particular on access to education along the Thai-Myanmar border, support for schools, and assistance to displaced persons.
According to the ministry, the meeting broadly covered issues such as education during crisis, legal capacity-building, and support for displaced people and refugees. It also highlighted innovative teaching methods such as the Kumon Method as examples of how learning opportunities can be expanded in resource-constrained environments, and discussions were held on cooperation with Japanese universities, international education organizations, and scholarship opportunities.
⸻ - UN Human Rights Council proposes Kelley Currie as Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar
m.CDM, March 20
Sidharto R. Suryodipuro, President of the UN Human Rights Council, has proposed Mrs. Kelley Anne Eckels-Currie as the next UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.
Kelley Currie is someone who has frequently spoken out at the United Nations, the U.S. Congress, and international human rights organizations about the suffering of the people of Myanmar.
It is reported that on March 19, the HRC President sent letters to member states regarding her proposed appointment as Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.
The proposal is expected to be decided by the Council on March 31, the final day of the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Tom Andrews, who served as Special Rapporteur on Myanmar from 2020 to 2026, has reportedly been nominated for the position of Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, according to a statement by the UN Human Rights Council.
Kelley Anne Eckels-Currie is a former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues and a former U.S. representative to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
She has worked for more than 30 years with the United Nations and the U.S. government on behalf of Myanmar democracy activists and ethnic minority rights, and is also said to have founded the “Burma Transition Initiative” at the Project 2049 Institute, where she played a strong role in leading international policy discussions on Myanmar.
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These news reports were submitted by Ko Thit and Lu Lay.