Airstrikes kill 28 military family members at detention camp; Arakan Army seizes village in Ayeyarwady Region
Airstrikes kill 28 military family members at detention camp
The Arakan Army (AA) claimed that a total of 28 people, including children, were killed and 25 others were injured by airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force on an undisclosed location near Ram Creek in Mrauk-U Township of Arakan State on Saturday. The AA seized control of Mrauk-U, located 88 miles (142 km) northeast of the Arakan State capital Sittwe, last February.
The death toll included children aged two, eight, 11 and 12, as well as those over age 60. They were members of military families scheduled to be released, who had been detained by the AA in Mrauk-U since fighting ended, according to the AA. The military has intensified its aerial bombardments on areas under AA control in recent months as it has seized 14 out of Arakan’s 17 townships.
So far this month, airstrikes have killed over 40 civilians in Ramree Township and at least nine in Kyauktaw Township. The Blood Money Campaign, a coalition of anti-coup activists, is calling for a global aviation fuel ban on Burma. The U.N. urged both the regime in Naypyidaw, which seized power after the 2021 military coup, and the AA to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law.
Arakan Army seizes village in Ayeyarwady Region
The Burma Air Force also carried out airstrikes on Bawmi village of Shwethaungyan town, located 43 miles (69 km) northwest of the Ayeyarwady Region capital Pathein, after it was seized by the AA on Saturday. This is the second village in northern Ayeyarwady to come under AA control since Jan. 10.
“Homes were destroyed and no one who was left behind in the village would have survived,” a Shwethaungyan resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Military personnel withdrew from Bawmi village on Jan. 18 after fighting with the AA ended. Residents said that over 200 homes were destroyed by airstrikes on Friday.
A source close to the military told DVB that 80 soldiers were injured and 100 are still missing in Bawmi. The AA took control of Magyizin village of Shwethaungyan town, which is located 20 miles (32 km) south of Gwa Township in southern Arakan, after it seized full control of Gwa on Dec. 29. The Burma Navy has stationed its warships off the coast of Ayeyarwady.
Chin National Front members allegedly arrested in India
India’s Mizoram State authorities announced that they arrested five members believed to belong to the Chin National Front (CNF), including a senior leader, with six AK-47 rifles, 10,050 rounds of ammunition, and 13 magazines during a raid near Saithah village in Mizoram’s Mamit district, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported on Thursday.
“One of [the five arrested] is a member of CNF but not the [Chin National Army]. The weapons and ammunition are also not for the CNF,” Salai Htet Ni, the CNA spokesperson, told Chin World on Jan. 17 in response to the arrests. Indian police accused the CNF members of smuggling the weapons from neighbouring Bangladesh into India.
The authorities also accused a Bangladeshi armed group called the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF-P) of being involved in the weapons smuggling. Mizoram State shares a 316 mile (510 km) long border with Chinland. The CNF is a founding member of the Chinland Council, one of the two factions of the Chin resistance formed after the 2021 coup.
News by Region
YANGON—North Okkalapa Township residents told DVB that more than 16 households, near Paywatseikkon train station in Tadagyi ward, have been ordered to leave their homes by Feb. 1. The 16 households are planning to file an appeal at the township court. Residents claimed that they received “smart” identification cards from the National League for Democracy (NLD) government which allows them to remain in their homes.
“More than 60 people are staying in the area,” said a Tadagyi ward resident. A Myanma Railways employee told DVB that the residents are being evicted to make way for a new Yangon Circular Railway project planned by the regime’s Ministry of Rail Transportation. North Okkalapa has four train stations and all households near them may soon be facing eviction.
MAGWAY—A resistance group calling itself the Brave Warriors for Myanmar claimed that nine military personnel, including two officers, were killed during its attack on the regime’s No. 21 Defense Equipment Factory in Seikphyu Township on Saturday. Seikphyu is located 73 miles (117 km) south of the regional capital Magway.
“The number of casualties, deaths and damages could be increasing. We are quite satisfied with this mission,” the group’s spokesperson told DVB. He added that the military carried out an artillery attack in response. The Defense Equipment Factory, also known as KaPaSa, produces various munitions allegedly used in airstrikes.
MANDALAY—The People’s Defense Force (PDF) claimed that four civilians were killed and two homes were destroyed in Nyaungkon village of Taungtha Township, by two Burma Air Force members from Meiktila Air Base using paramotors, on Saturday. Taungtha is located 82 miles (131 km) southwest of Mandalay.
“Those things used to come at night time. It happens frequently during this month, causing civilian casualties,” the PDF spokesperson told DVB. He added that at least six rounds of attacks were conducted by the military on Taungtha from Dec. 25 to Jan. 18. Paramotors are a motorized steerable parachute, which can carry at least one pilot, that can fly at speeds from 30-90 miles per hour.
