Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
December 2023 - Myanmar Special Weapons News
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- Women and children suffer amid Myanmar's civil war Radio Free Asia 31 Dec 2023 -- As Myanmar's civil war approaches its third year, intensified fighting across the country this year between ruling junta forces and resistance fighters has destroyed villages and parts of towns, displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians, most of whom are women and children.
- Ethnic armies' 'Operation 1027' put Myanmar junta on defensive in 2023 Radio Free Asia 30 Dec 2023 -- Myanmar's ethnic armed organizations and other resistance groups made significant gains against the country's military dictatorship in 2023.
- Junta raid kills 10 Rohingyas, injures 17 in Myanmar's Rakhine state Radio Free Asia 29 Dec 2023 -- Ten Rohingyas were killed and another 17 injured in the Buthidaung and Mrauk-U townships in Myanmar's Rakhine state as a result of airstrikes by the junta on Thursday, local residents told RFA Burmese on Friday.
- Disinformation campaign spurred student attack on Rohingya shelter, Indonesian activists say Radio Free Asia 28 Dec 2023 -- Human rights activists and some observers on Thursday alleged that university students who stormed a Rohingya shelter in Aceh province the day before had been influenced by an "organized" disinformation campaign, which some even linked to the upcoming general election.
- Myanmar junta and ethnic army alliance fail to reach agreement to reduce combat Radio Free Asia 28 Dec 2023 -- Myanmar's military junta and the Three Brotherhood Alliance held talks earlier this week about reducing armed conflict in northern Shan state, but failed to agree to meet each other's demands, officials from one of the alliance's ethnic armies said.
- Burmese city hit by huge job losses amid Chinese factory closures in Dec. Radio Free Asia 28 Dec 2023 -- About 3,000 workers were left unemployed and without full compensation following the ongoing shutdowns of Chinese garment factories in December in Pathein, Ayeyarwady region of Myanmar, according to workers on Wednesday.
- Junta attack kills 8 civilians, injures 25 in Myanmar's Laukkaing city Radio Free Asia 27 Dec 2023 -- Junta's recent deployment of heavy weaponry in Laukkaing, a city within the Kokang Self-Administered Zone in Myanmar's Shan State, has resulted in the death of eight civilians and left 25 others injured, according to the anti-junta Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) on Tuesday.
- Indonesia urged to protect refugees following mob attack UN News 27 Dec 2023 -- The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has appealed for action in the wake of a mob attack against refugees in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on Wednesday.
- Crowd of Indonesians storms Rohingya shelter, demanding refugees be deported Radio Free Asia 27 Dec 2023 -- Hundreds of students stormed a temporary shelter for Rohingya in Indonesia's western Aceh province on Wednesday demanding they be deported, in an escalation of the campaign against the refugees, a U.N. agency and local media reported.
- Fighting in Rakhine threatens Chinese-backed infrastructure projects Radio Free Asia 27 Dec 2023 -- Intense fighting between junta troops and an ethnic army in western Myanmar's Rakhine state has threatened to disrupt Chinese-backed infrastructure projects that are part of the Belt and Road Initiative.
- Military burned more than 440 bodies over 19-month period Radio Free Asia 26 Dec 2023 -- More than 440 bodies, mostly those of civilians, were burned by ruling junta forces across Myanmar between March 2022 and September 2023, according to a report by a U.K.-based nonprofit group dedicated to exposing human rights abuses and war crimes.
- Junta attack claims lives of 3 people in Myanmar's Rakhine State Radio Free Asia 26 Dec 2023 -- The junta army's heavy artillery shelling in Myanmar's ancient capital of Mrauk-U in Rakhine State between Sunday and Monday resulted in the deaths of three civilians and the arrest of nine others, local residents told Radio Free Asia on Monday.
- Anti-junta group: Myanmar receiving fuel shipments even with sanctions Radio Free Asia 22 Dec 2023 -- Shipping companies continue to transport fuel to Myanmar despite recent sanctions from the United States targeting the military junta's use of jet fuel, an anti-junta group said in a statement.
- Myanmar junta kills 7-year-old in northern airstrike Radio Free Asia 22 Dec 2023 -- A junta airstrike on a village in Myanmar's northern Sagaing region killed a seven-year-old girl, residents told Radio Free Asia Friday.
- More than 40,000 Chinese involved in online scam operations deported from Myanmar Radio Free Asia 22 Dec 2023 -- More than 40,000 Chinese nationals associated with unlawful online scam groups in Myanmar's northern Shan state were arrested and deported during a three-month period from early September to mid-December, data from relevant groups indicate.
- Anti-junta forces claim attack on Myanmar's central region military HQ Radio Free Asia 21 Dec 2023 -- Anti-junta armies have attacked the headquarters of the Myanmar military's Central Region Command in an old palace compound in the center of the country's second-largest city, Mandalay, residents and fighters who conducted the attack told Radio Free Asia on Thursday.
- Domestic flights in Myanmar reduced as junta searches for jet fuel Radio Free Asia 21 Dec 2023 -- The number of domestic commercial flights in Myanmar dropped by one-third in recent months after the military junta began seizing aircraft fuel from private airlines following stepped-up sanctions imposed by the United States, several ticketing agents told Radio Free Asia.
- Food, supplies run low at large prison in Myanmar's Kayah State Radio Free Asia 20 Dec 2023 -- Food and medicine shortages are putting nearly 500 prisoners in eastern Myanmar's Kayah State at risk as fighting between the military junta and resistance forces has hindered the transport of supplies into the capital of Loikaw, aid workers said.
- Anti-junta forces capture Myanmar border crossing gate Radio Free Asia 19 Dec 2023 -- One of Myanmar's powerful anti-junta armies has seized a key border gate from the military in a self-administered part of eastern Shan state, residents told Radio Free Asia on Tuesday.
- Anti-junta forces set up satellite-based internet service in 60 areas Radio Free Asia 19 Dec 2023 -- Anti-junta forces have set up satellite-based internet access in more than 60 areas under their control in the Sagaing and Magway regions and in Karenni and Kachin states, officials from Myanmar's shadow National Unity Government told Radio Free Asia.
- UN report: More than 2.6 million people displaced across Myanmar Radio Free Asia 18 Dec 2023 -- Myanmar's civil war has displaced more than 2.6 million people, including 660,000 who recently fled their homes after intensified fighting since October between junta troops and armed ethnic groups, the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
- Two dead, 3 injured in airstrikes on central Myanmar village Radio Free Asia 18 Dec 2023 -- A junta jet dropped bombs and opened fire with machine guns on civilians in three townships killing two women and injuring three more, locals and People's Defense Force members told Radio Free Asia.
- Junta sends pardoned deserters who refused to rejoin military back to prison Radio Free Asia 16 Dec 2023 -- More than 200 pardoned deserters have been sent back to prison after refusing to rejoin Myanmar's military, according to friends and family members, in what observers say is likely a bid by the junta to keep them from defecting to the armed resistance.
- Junta shelling forces residents to flee Myanmar township Radio Free Asia 15 Dec 2023 -- Almost all the residents of a Kachin Independence Army-controlled town were forced to flee when Myanmar's junta fired heavy artillery at residential areas, according to army officials and locals.
- Myanmar-China trade halted amid fierce fighting in Shan state Radio Free Asia 15 Dec 2023 -- Trade across Myanmar's shared border with China has ground to a halt amid a six-week offensive by ethnic rebels fighting junta troops in the country's Shan state, according to merchants, causing an estimated loss of more than US$500 million in commerce.
- China helps to meditate in peace talks between Myanmar military and armed groups Global Times 14 Dec 2023 -- Following China's mediation efforts, Myanmar's military recently held peace talks with the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army and the Arakan Army in China and reached agreement on a number of arrangements, said a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noting that the groups also reached agreement on a temporary ceasefire and maintaining the momentum of dialogue.
- Ethnic rebels seize dozens of military sites in Myanmar's Rakhine and Chin states Radio Free Asia 14 Dec 2023 -- One month into renewed hostilities between the military and ethnic rebels in western Myanmar's Rakhine and neighboring Chin state, the Arakan Army claims to have seized dozens of junta camps, including major bases along the borders with India and Bangladesh.
- Shelling kills 3, including a child, in Myanmar's Mandalay region Radio Free Asia 14 Dec 2023 -- Heavy weaponry in central Myanmar killed three civilians, residents told Radio Free Asia on Thursday.
- Myanmar shadow govt claims hundreds of junta surrenders since end October Radio Free Asia 13 Dec 2023 -- Hundreds of junta security personnel have surrendered to or been arrested by Myanmar's armed resistance since the start of an offensive by ethnic armed groups last month, according to the country's shadow government.
- Junta kills 3 during raid in central Myanmar while torching a village Radio Free Asia 13 Dec 2023 -- Three people are dead and nearly 30 houses have been burned down following a junta raid, residents told Radio Free Asia on Wednesday.
- Indonesia asks UNHCR to persuade countries to accept Rohingya refugees Radio Free Asia 13 Dec 2023 -- Indonesia is urging the United Nations refugee agency to find third countries for resettling Rohingya refugees who have sought shelter in the Southeast Asian nation, the foreign minister said Wednesday.
- Is Thailand Changing its Role on Myanmar? VOA 13 Dec 2023 -- As fighting between rebel groups and the military junta intensifies in Myanmar, experts say Thailand is shifting its approach toward its neighbor and putting more emphasis on playing a humanitarian role.
- WFP's Rohingya Refugee Operation in Bangladesh Receives Major Funding Boost of US$87 Million from the United States WFP 13 Dec 2023 -- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomes a new contribution of US$87 million from the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance of the United States Agency for International Development. This timely funding will significantly bolster WFP's efforts in providing lifesaving food and nutrition assistance to the Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar and on Bhasan Char Island, where nearly 1 million people are facing daily hardships, without an immediate prospect of a safe return to Myanmar. Ration to be increased from US$8 to US$10 and fortified rice added to food basket in Cox's Bazar in 2024.
- Junta troops seize orphanage during battle in central Myanmar Radio Free Asia 12 Dec 2023 -- Junta soldiers sheltered in an orphanage in central Myanmar to deter resistance groups from attacking, locals and People's Defense Forces told Radio Free Asia on Tuesday.
- Exclusive Q&A: Myanmar's Opposition Chief Says Battle Against Junta Has Turned VOA 12 Dec 2023 -- The people of Myanmar are "determined to fight until the end," the acting president of Myanmar's opposition government has told VOA.
- UN says Myanmar now world's top opium cultivator Radio Free Asia 12 Dec 2023 -- An uptick in cultivation brought on by junta mismanagement of the economy has made Myanmar the world's largest source of opium, according to the United Nations, which warned that the trend is expected to accelerate amid conflict in the country's remote border regions.
- Myanmar overtakes Afghanistan as world's top opium producer UN News 12 Dec 2023 -- Myanmar is now the world's largest opium producer, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported on Tuesday, as the economic and political crisis following the 2021 coup and widening conflict between the military and armed groups continues to drive farmers towards illicit opium poppy production.
- Myanmar Overtakes Afghanistan as World's Top Opium Producer VOA 12 Dec 2023 -- Myanmar has overtaken Afghanistan as the world's top opium producer in 2023 after a third consecutive year of expanding cultivation fueled by the country's civil war, the United Nations says in a new report.
- Ethnic Karenni forces control capital, key township in Myanmar's Kayah state Radio Free Asia 11 Dec 2023 -- One month since launching an offensive against Myanmar's military in Kayah state, ethnic Karenni joint forces are in control of the regional capital Loikaw and the strategic township of Moebye, the Karenni Army said Monday.
- Artillery hits children playing, killing girl in western Myanmar Radio Free Asia 11 Dec 2023 -- Heavy shelling killed a child and injured five others in western Myanmar, locals told Radio Free Asia on Monday.
- Out of the hills: The war is coming to Myanmar's cities Radio Free Asia 09 Dec 2023 -- Operation 1027, launched on Oct. 27 by the Three Brotherhood Alliance, has led to coordinated attacks throughout Myanmar and seen the fall of 20 towns and over 300 military posts. But violence is now starting to spread to the cities, a strategic tipping point.
- Junta bombing kills 5, including a child, in northern Myanmar Radio Free Asia 08 Dec 2023 -- A heavy aerial attack in northeastern Myanmar killed five civilians, an official from an anti-junta women's organization told Radio Free Asia on Friday.
- Fighting engulfs over two-thirds of Myanmar, fuelling humanitarian needs UN News 08 Dec 2023 -- Over half a million people have been displaced in Myanmar amid a surge in fighting between the military and armed groups that stated in late October and has spread to over two-thirds of the country, the UN humanitarian affairs office reported on Friday.
- Vietnam repatriates more than 1,000 of its citizens from Myanmar Radio Free Asia 07 Dec 2023 -- Vietnam this week flew home just over 1,000 of its citizens who were stranded in wartorn Myanmar, Hanoi's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Thursday.
- Pariahs in arms: Russia finds an ally in military-run Myanmar Radio Free Asia 07 Dec 2023 -- A month after the February 2021 coup that plunged Myanmar into a bloody civil war, military leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing gave a rare interview with a Russian newspaper. In it, he declared his countrymen's Buddhist appreciation for "tranquility and peace." He also spoke of his love for "old and true friends" like Russia.
- Civilian death toll jumps 7-fold in Myanmar in November Radio Free Asia 07 Dec 2023 -- The civilian death toll in wartorn states in Myanmar jumped seven-fold in November, largely due to airstrikes by the junta in populated areas as part of fighting with ethnic rebel groups and People's Defense Force units, data compiled by Radio Free Asia shows.
- Myanmar junta recruiting former resistance fighters to bolster numbers Radio Free Asia 07 Dec 2023 -- Resistance fighters who surrendered to the junta in southwestern Myanmar are now being enlisted by the regime's military, anti-junta militia members told Radio Free Asia.
- Indonesia faces criticism over plan to deport Rohingya to Myanmar Radio Free Asia 06 Dec 2023 -- Human rights activists and observers on Wednesday criticized a plan by the Indonesian government to return nearly 1,500 Rohingya to their home country of Myanmar, where they have faced persecution and violence, according to a report from BenarNews, a news outlet affiliated with Radio Free Asia.
- Myanmar's dead and wounded civilians trapped in battlezone Radio Free Asia 06 Dec 2023 -- Fighting between the junta and three allied resistance groups in Myanmar's north has trapped over 500 civilians, a rescue team told Radio Free Asia on Wednesday.
- Myanmar militia arrests and shoots villagers near India border Radio Free Asia 05 Dec 2023 -- Junta-backed Pyu Saw Htee militia members shot four villagers on the Myanmar-India border, locals told Radio Free Asia.
- Myanmar villagers find 18 burnt bodies after junta raid Radio Free Asia 04 Dec 2023 -- Villagers uncovered 18 charred bodies after junta forces burned homes in a village in central Myanmar, residents and defense forces told Radio Free Asia.
- Junta ban on aid vehicles leads to humanitarian crisis in Kayah capital Radio Free Asia 04 Dec 2023 -- A ban on aid vehicles entering Myanmar's Loikaw city amid intensifying clashes between junta troops and the armed resistance has led to a humanitarian crisis in the Kayah state capital, relief workers and residents said Monday.
- Tens of thousands flee intensifying clashes in Myanmar's Rakhine state Radio Free Asia 01 Dec 2023 -- An intensification of fighting between ethnic Arakan Army fighters and junta troops in western Myanmar's Rakhine state has caused tens of thousands of villagers to flee four major townships in anticipation of additional clashes, residents said Friday.
- Myanmar junta arrests minors, elderly and disabled villagers Radio Free Asia 01 Dec 2023 -- Junta troops arrested nearly 50 villagers in central Myanmar, locals told Radio Free Asia on Friday. After a junta officer was killed in a clash Wednesday, officials from the battalion entered the village in Sagaing region.
- Chinese military 'highly concerned' over situation in northern Myanmar: defense ministry Global Times 01 Dec 2023 -- The Chinese military is highly concerned and will be prepared for all kinds of possible emergencies that might occur along the China-Myanmar border, a Chinese defense ministry spokesperson said on Thursday, urging relevant parties to stop the fighting in northern Myanmar as soon as possible and resolve differences through dialogue.
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