Hello everyone. We now bring you today’s m.CDM domestic news.
Today’s main stories:
- Protest leader Nan Lin accepts the National Endowment for Democracy’s 2026 Democracy Award.
- Myanmar military forces suffer heavy casualties despite launching offensives with more than 1,000 troops around Sittwe-Ponnagyun and areas bordering three regions.
- Military columns retreat after suffering heavy losses in fighting around Zinbon in Shwegu Township.
- At least 96 civilians were killed in Myanmar military airstrikes during August 2026.
- A Pyu Saw Htee member accused of participating in the burning deaths of a father and son is captured in Natmauk.
- Three suspects are arrested after an armed robbery at a gold shop in downtown Kyaukme.
- A former Thai MP describes the meeting between Min Aung Hlaing and Hun Sen as “two scam kings joining hands.”
- China is conducting large-scale rare-earth and other mineral extraction in Myanmar, according to the International Crisis Group.
1. Nan Lin Accepts NED’s 2026 Democracy Award
The U.S.-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has awarded its 2026 Democracy Award for Freedom of Expression to activists involved in Myanmar’s Spring Revolution, with protest leader Nan Lin accepting the award on behalf of the grassroots movement.
During his acceptance remarks, Nan Lin urged the international community to maintain confidence in the Myanmar people’s struggle for federal democracy and to continue standing with them. He also called for the immediate release of more than 20,000 people being unjustly detained by the military, including political leaders.
Although he was unable to attend the ceremony in person, Nan Lin delivered his acceptance speech from a liberated area of Myanmar.
He said clandestine and innovative resistance activities continue in urban areas despite military censorship, internet shutdowns and the threat of airstrikes. Grassroots organizations, he said, continue organizing among the public despite these dangers.
This year’s NED Democracy Awards also recognized individuals and organizations from Russia, Cuba, Syria and Ethiopia.
The award was presented by U.S. Senator and NED board member Todd Young.
2. Military Suffers Heavy Losses in Sittwe-Ponnagyun Offensive
Myanmar military forces have reportedly suffered heavy casualties, including officers at battalion commander and tactical-command levels, despite deploying around 1,000 troops in offensives around Sittwe and Ponnagyun in Rakhine State and areas bordering Magway, Bago and Ayeyarwady regions.
According to military sources, the offensive began on September 4 with approximately five military columns. Ground forces were supported by artillery, naval units, aircraft and drones.
Heavy fighting occurred around Min Chaung Bridge, Kwan Taung, Wa Bo, Min Hla and Myit Nar village in Sittwe Township, as well as areas between Ye Yoe Pyin and Khamoung Taw and between Aung Zeya and Aung Myay Kone in Ponnagyun Township.
Sources claimed that more than 100 military personnel were killed or wounded during four days of fighting from September 4 to 7.
The Arakan Army (AA) subsequently launched counteroffensives between September 8 and 10, with military column commanders reportedly killed during fighting along the Wa Bo and Kwan Taung routes.
Fighting was continuing as of September 11. Sources close to the AA said the group maintained control of the overall battlefield.
Fighting has also continued around Kyaukphyu Township and along Rakhine State’s borders with three neighboring regions.
3. Military Columns Retreat from Zinbon Area in Shwegu
Myanmar military columns have reportedly retreated after suffering heavy losses in fighting near Zinbon village in Shwegu Township, Kachin State.
The military began operations around Zinbon in late August to provide security for a naval convoy attempting to travel up the Ayeyarwady River from Shwegu toward Bhamo.
Fighting continued into the second week of September between the military and joint resistance forces led by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).
Local military sources said the military column retreated on September 11 after suffering significant casualties, including officers.
Three military battalions reportedly participated in the operation. Another source claimed that officers at battalion commander level from units under the 33rd Light Infantry Division were among those killed.
The ground offensive was intended to protect the military flotilla heading toward Bhamo, but resistance forces prevented the troops from securing the area.
The flotilla itself also suffered substantial damage from attacks by the KIA and allied forces, with vessels reportedly sunk, damaged or burned.
Military records cited in the report indicate that at least 14 military vessels, including combat vessels, were damaged between August 27 and September 9 along the Katha-Shwegu-Bhamo river route.
The military has also attempted to retake the strategically important Ayeyarwady River crossing around Sinkhan using ground, naval and air forces, but the area reportedly remains under KIA and allied control.
4. 96 Civilians Reportedly Killed in August Airstrikes
At least 96 civilians were killed in Myanmar military airstrikes during August 2026, according to a report by the Myanmar Defense & Security Institute (MDSI).
MDSI documented 115 airstrike incidents involving approximately 312 individual attacks.
Among those killed were eight children and 21 women. Another 239 civilians were injured, including 37 children and 17 women.
According to the report, approximately 60 percent of the airstrikes targeted civilian-populated villages, crowded areas, hospitals, schools and religious buildings.
Another 20 percent involved displacement camps, economic infrastructure and locations that could not be clearly categorized, while only around 20 percent — 23 incidents — involved military targets.
Sagaing Region recorded 36 civilian deaths, Rakhine State 30 and Chin State 14. Together, these areas accounted for more than 82 percent of the reported civilian deaths.
MDSI said the military primarily operated aircraft from Magway Air Base, which was used 33 times, followed by Tada-U with 23 operations, Hmawbi with 12 and Naypyidaw with approximately three.
FTC-2000G and Yak-130 jets were reportedly among the aircraft most frequently used, along with Y-12 transport aircraft and helicopters.
The report also said at least 660 bombs, including cluster munitions, were used during August alone.
MDSI called for expanded air-raid warning systems and bomb shelters for civilians and urged the international community to restrict supplies of aviation fuel, technology and raw materials used to manufacture bombs.
5. Pyu Saw Htee Member Accused of Burning Father and Son Captured
The Natmauk People’s Defense Organization (Pa Ka Pha) says it has captured Kare, also known as Saw Khine Lay Htoo, a Pyu Saw Htee member accused of participating in the killing of a father and son in Natmauk Township, Magway Region.
He was reportedly captured in eastern Natmauk on September 5.
The group alleged that he had extorted travelers at the Ywar Taw checkpoint and disguised himself as a beggar, vendor or timber worker to gather intelligence on resistance groups. He was also accused of serving as a guide for military columns.
According to the report, he admitted participating in the January 25 killing of U San Maung, aged over 50, and his 21-year-old son Ko Naing Lin Maung, who were allegedly burned to death after being detained by military forces.
He also allegedly admitted accompanying military columns toward Pwintbyu and participating in the looting of gold, money and other valuables from civilians.
Military forces have been conducting operations in eastern Natmauk since April, with homes reportedly burned and at least three civilians killed.
6. Armed Robbery at Kyaukme Gold Shop
An armed robbery occurred at Shwe Moe Yadanar gold shop in the central market of Kyaukme, northern Shan State, with gold worth hundreds of millions of kyat reportedly stolen.
At around 8:25 a.m. on September 12, three armed men arrived on motorcycles while the shop was preparing to open.
The shop owner resisted and was shot in the arm. A municipal worker who attempted to intervene was also shot in the leg.
The robbers escaped with a large quantity of gold, but a Kyaukme parliamentarian later reported on social media that all three suspects had been captured.
Details about their identities and how they were arrested were not immediately available.
Residents also reported hearing a loud explosion south of Kyaukme at around 6 a.m. the same day, although its cause remained unclear.
Kyaukme has been under military control since it was retaken from the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in October 2025.
7. Former Thai MP Criticizes Min Aung Hlaing-Hun Sen Meeting
Former Thai MP Kannavee Suebsang sharply criticized the meeting between Myanmar military leader Min Aung Hlaing and Cambodia’s Hun Sen in Phnom Penh, describing it as the equivalent of “two scam kings joining hands.”
He said Myanmar and Cambodia have become major centers for online scam operations, human trafficking and money laundering involving hundreds of thousands of people subjected to forced labor.
Unless Min Aung Hlaing’s visit produces concrete cooperation against scam networks, Kannavee argued, the meeting risks becoming little more than political theater intended to improve the images of their governments.
He also noted that Thailand serves as an important transit route for people and financial flows associated with these crimes and therefore cannot simply treat the problem as something occurring outside its borders.
Min Aung Hlaing has recently visited Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, completing a series of engagements with mainland Southeast Asian countries.
Kannavee warned that the strategy could be aimed at gradually obtaining legitimacy from neighboring countries before securing broader acceptance within ASEAN.
He described the emerging mainland Southeast Asian environment as potentially becoming a “legitimacy corridor” for authoritarian governments, a “grey-economy corridor,” and an “impunity corridor” for transnational crime.
He therefore called on Thailand’s government, which had previously given Min Aung Hlaing red-carpet treatment, to explain what commitments it received regarding an end to attacks on civilians, implementation of ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus and dismantling scam networks.
During his Cambodia visit, Min Aung Hlaing also called for the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute to be resolved peacefully and expressed full support for Cambodia’s position.
Hun Sen, meanwhile, praised what he described as Myanmar’s development under Min Aung Hlaing. The report pointedly noted that on the same day, September 11, Myanmar experienced a nationwide electricity outage.
Four memoranda of understanding involving investment, taxation and other areas were reportedly signed during the visit. Min Aung Hlaing also invited Cambodian investment in projects including the Dawei Special Economic Zone.
The report further notes that Cambodia is a state party to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and cites international-affairs analysts as suggesting that Min Aung Hlaing would likely have sought assurances before making the visit.
8. ICG Reports Large-Scale Chinese-Linked Mining in Myanmar
The International Crisis Group (ICG) says China has tightened controls and closed some environmentally damaging mining operations within its own territory while large-scale extraction of rare-earth minerals has expanded in conflict-affected border areas of Myanmar.
In a report released on September 10, ICG said armed groups controlling mining areas inside Myanmar generally lack strict environmental regulations, allowing mining activities restricted in China to shift across the border.
ICG also reported that one of the world’s largest tin-mining operations, located in the Wa region, has begun restarting after being suspended for several years.
Tin extraction at the Man Maw mine, which was suspended in 2023, is gradually resuming, with minerals again being exported to China.
Tin is an important raw material used in electronics, including components needed in chips supporting artificial-intelligence technologies.
The Man Maw mine lies within territory controlled by the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and has historically been an important source of global tin supplies.
Its sudden closure in 2023 contributed to higher global tin prices.
Mining operations are now gradually returning, according to ICG, although production has not yet returned to the levels recorded before the shutdown.
That concludes today’s m.CDM Domestic News.
Today’s reports were contributed by Ko Thit and Lu Lay.
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