[cityhantam]

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[Tee tiong huat]

Myanmar confirmed Monday (Dec 11) talks have been held over the conflict in northern Myanmar after weeks of fighting between the country's junta and ethnic minority armed groups.

"China is happy to see the parties to the conflict in northern Myanmar hold peace talks and achieve positive results," foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/nor...ts-3980116

Armed ethnic alliance in northern Myanmar is said to have seized a city that was a key goal. An alliance of ethnic armed groups in northeastern Myanmar has reportedly achieved one of the main goals it set when it launched an offensive last October by taking control of Laukkaing, a key city on the border with China, according to local residents & independent media accounts. Friday.

The Three Brotherhood Alliance — comprising the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, or MNDAA, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and the Arakan Army — took control of Laukkaing late Thursday after forces of country’s military govt reportedly laid down their arms & were allowed to withdraw, according to reports that have not yet been officially confirmed by either side.

Laukkaing is the capital of Kokang Self-Administered Zone, geographically part of northern Shan state. The MNDAA is a military force of the Kokang minority, who are ethnic Chinese.
https://apnews.com/article/kokang-laukka...3cdfa68970

[Tee tiong huat]

Armed ethnic alliance in northern Myanmar is said to have seized a city that was a key goal. An alliance of ethnic armed groups in northeastern Myanmar has reportedly achieved one of the main goals it set when it launched an offensive last October by taking control of Laukkaing, a key city on the border with China, according to local residents & independent media accounts. Friday.

The Three Brotherhood Alliance — comprising the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, or MNDAA, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and the Arakan Army — took control of Laukkaing late Thursday after forces of country’s military govt reportedly laid down their arms & were allowed to withdraw, according to reports that have not yet been officially confirmed by either side.

Laukkaing is the capital of Kokang Self-Administered Zone, geographically part of northern Shan state. The MNDAA is a military force of the Kokang minority, who are ethnic Chinese.
https://apnews.com/article/kokang-laukka...3cdfa68970

Myanmar military protected $14bn scam hub Four families ran huge criminal empires in Myanmar.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/271930...n-scam-hub

[Tee tiong huat]

Myanmar military protected $14bn scam hub Four families ran huge criminal empires in Myanmar.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/271930...n-scam-hub

Now latest news:..An armed alliance of ethnic minority groups in Myanmar claimed late Friday (Jan 5) to have captured a northern town notorious for online scam operations in another blow to the embattled junta.

The military is facing its biggest threat since seizing power in a 2021 coup after three armed ethnic groups - known as the Three Brotherhood Alliance - launched a sweeping October offensive in northern Shan state.

Since November people have been fleeing Laukkai town, located in a district bordering China that is run by a Myanmar military-aligned militia and notorious for gambling, prostitution and online scams run out of compounds staffed by thousands of people, many trafficked.

The alliance - made up of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Arakan Army (AA) and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) - said the town was now under their control.

"All members from the Myanmar Army's Military Operational Command in Laukkai were disarmed and Laukkai became a clean area where there are no more members of the Myanmar Army," the alliance said in a statement.It added that scores of junta soldiers, including some officers, had been captured and disarmed.
The junta has not commented.

TNLA Brigadier-General Tar Bhone Kyaw confirmed Saturday that MNDAA had taken Laukkai. is their land, they got it back now. n
"Their people will not have to stay anymore under the military regime,"
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/mya...wn-4029071

[Tee tiong huat]

TNLA Brigadier-General Tar Bhone Kyaw confirmed Saturday. MNDAA had taken Laukkai into their land, they got it back now. n "their people will not have to stay under military regime," the rebel grps control of key northern town bordering China, by ethnic minority ,the town is notorious for online scam operations, a big blow to junta facing its biggest threat to power since seizing power in a 2021 coup, people have been fleeing Laukkai town, near bordering China is run by a military militia.

This Online Scams -- Laukkai a big town alongside vital border hubs, damaging trade between China and Myanmar's cash-strapped for junta. Leader Min Aung Hlaing made a name for himself in 2009 as regional commander, he expelled MNDAA from town N in installed a militia that got rich producing drugs and selling a potent cocktail of gambling and sex to visitors from across Chinese border.

Saturday news, Global New Light of Myanmar said Min Aung Hlaing met Chinese vice foreign minister Sun Weidong in capital Naypyidaw & "exchanged views to forge peace and stability, this uptick fighting near Laukkai prompted Beijing to ask citizens to leave last month. Analysts say China now maintains ties with ethnic armed groups in northern Myanmar, some share close ethnic and cultural links with China & used Chinese currency and phone networks in territory they control & the alliance's offensive has galvanised opponents of junta and clashes have spread to east & west of Myanmar. More than half a million people have been forced to flee their homes, as dozens of armed ethnic minority groups battled Myanmar's military since independence from Britain, 1948.

Some want greater autonomy while others simply want the right to run the lucrative trade in jade, drugs and timber in their territory.
https://www.livemint.com/news/world/myan...24062.html

[Tee tiong huat]

TNLA Brigadier-General Tar Bhone Kyaw confirmed Saturday. MNDAA had taken Laukkai into their land, they got it back now. n "their people will not have to stay under military regime," the rebel grps control of key northern town bordering China, by ethnic minority ,the town is notorious for online scam operations, a big blow to junta facing its biggest threat to power since seizing power in a 2021 coup, people have been fleeing Laukkai town, near bordering China is run by a military militia.

This Online Scams -- Laukkai a big town alongside vital border hubs, damaging trade between China and Myanmar's cash-strapped for junta. Leader Min Aung Hlaing made a name for himself in 2009 as regional commander, he expelled MNDAA from town N in installed a militia that got rich producing drugs and selling a potent cocktail of gambling and sex to visitors from across Chinese border.

Saturday news, Global New Light of Myanmar said Min Aung Hlaing met Chinese vice foreign minister Sun Weidong in capital Naypyidaw & "exchanged views to forge peace and stability, this uptick fighting near Laukkai prompted Beijing to ask citizens to leave last month. Analysts say China now maintains ties with ethnic armed groups in northern Myanmar, some share close ethnic and cultural links with China & used Chinese currency and phone networks in territory they control & the alliance's offensive has galvanised opponents of junta and clashes have spread to east & west of Myanmar. More than half a million people have been forced to flee their homes, as dozens of armed ethnic minority groups battled Myanmar's military since independence from Britain, 1948.

Some want greater autonomy while others simply want the right to run the lucrative trade in jade, drugs and timber in their territory.
https://www.livemint.com/news/world/myan...24062.html

Latest news: The Three Brotherhood Alliance declared the entire Kokang region as a "Military Council-free area," claiming that over 2,300 military personnel, including six brigadier generals, and their family members, had surrendered on January 5, as per the report. 

Video clips on social media showed their transportation to safety, with many reportedly taken to Lashio, the capital of Shan's northern region, under an agreement with the MNDAA for repatriation.

Three Brotherhood Alliance’, consists of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, and the Arakan Army. The MNDAA represents the Kokang minority, who are ethnic Chinese, the report added.

Govt spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun said military and local commanders relinquished control of Laukkaing, considering various aspects, including safety of soldiers' family members. The spokesperson highlighted military's consideration of Myanmar's relationship with China, which is just across border from Laukkaing. The alliance's offensive, framed as struggle against military rule and organized crime, targeted cyber scam operations in Laukkaing had victimized Chinese nationals. China has publicly supported efforts to eliminate these operations. While remains unclear if alliance will extend its offensive beyond Shan state, it has vowed to continue fighting against military rule.

[Tee tiong huat]

Myanmar Junta Moves to Retake Major Shan State Camp. Junta is attempting to retake a major Shan State camp just 24km from its key command center in Pyin Oo Lwin, Mandalay Region.

Thanbo camp, south of Nawnghkio town, is being heavily shelled, according to a resident.
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/mya...-camp.html

[Tee tiong huat]

Myanmar Junta Moves to Retake Major Shan State Camp. Junta is attempting to retake a major Shan State camp just 24km from its key command center in Pyin Oo Lwin, Mandalay Region.

Thanbo camp, south of Nawnghkio town, is being heavily shelled, according to a resident.
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/mya...-camp.html

Over 2,000 villagers have fled into the jungle and nearby villages and need food and other supplies, he said. Junta ground forces are also attacking, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and Mandalay People’s Defense Force (PDF) seized Thanbo camp on Wednesday morning after an overnight attack.
The PDF described the Thanbo seizure as a “New Year’s gift”, saying it was now well-placed to expand its operations in Mandalay Region.

They seized drone jammers, arms and ammunition and Lieutenant Colonel Thet Aung. He is a lecturer in mechanics at the Defense Service Technological Academy, not a combat commander. A military analyst said: “The junta might launch heavy attacks into Nawnghkio before the resistance moves against lower areas, like Pyin Oo Lwin, in a bid to defend itself. Nawnghkio Township has other vulnerable outposts like Thanbo that resistance forces could seize easily. The junta is ordering its ground units from other townships to advance into Nawnghkio.”

The TNLA and the PDF launched two offensives last year: Operation Kanaung in July and Operation Taungthaman in late October. Clashes continue with Infantry Battalions 252 and 257 and Light Infantry Battalion 502 around Nawnghkio Township.
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/mya...-camp.html

[cityhantam]

野猫论政 1379：南天门山缅军向同盟军投降，果敢同盟军胜利光复果敢全境

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[Tee tiong huat]

Myanmar Military in Chaos,’ Swift Capture of Strategic Outpost Shows.

junta military’s failure to prevent resistance forces from swiftly seizing a strategic outpost this week in northern Shan State – one that links the area with Mandalay Region – shows that it is in chaos and has become weak, resistance forces and a former Tatmadaw captain say.

The commander of the outpost in Nawnghkio Township’s Thanbo village had no combat experience and neither did many of the troops he was assigned to lead. Myanmar Junta Detains Generals Who Surrendered to Resistance in Laukkai...Myanmar military regime has locked up six brigadier generals who last week surrendered to the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), resulting in the ethnic armed group’s capture of Laukkai—the capital of northern Shan State’s Kokang Self-Administered Zone—from several junta battalions that had been defending it.

The detention of officers was in line with military procedure, calls for those who surrender on the battlefield to be detained, after being released by the enemy, & questioned in order to decide whether they should face punishment for any military offenses, said the source...

[cityhantam]

【盧秀芳辣晚報】大規模投降潮! 緬北撐不住...｜緬北崩了! 6將軍率5700人投降 精華版 @CtiNews
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Armed ethnic alliance in northern Myanmar is said to have seized a city, a key goal in northeastern Myanmar has one of main goals offensive last October by taking control of Laukkaing, a key city on the border with China, according to local residents & independent media accounts said.
The Three Brotherhood Alliance — Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, or MNDAA, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and the Arakan Army — took control of Laukkaing after forces of country’s military govt reportedly laid down their arms & were allowed to withdraw, Laukkaing is the capital of Kokang Self-Administered Zone, geographically part of northern Shan state. The MNDAA is a military force of the Kokang minority, who are ethnic Chinese.
https://apnews.com/article/kokang-laukka...3cdfa68970

The Brotherhood Alliance, comprising Arakan Army (AA), Ta’ang National Liberation Army and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), has now seized 16 towns in northern Shan State since launching Operation 1027 on Oct. 27.

Kutkai and Hseni are located on the major trade route with China and are directly connected with Lashio, a core junta command center in northern Shan. The seizure of Kutkai and Hseni’s junta bases came just days after the MNDAA declared the whole of Shan State’s Kokang region, bordering China, as a “regime-free-zone” on Jan. 5.

The MNDAA seized the 16th Military Operations Command in Hseni at around 10 am on Sunday while the TNLA captured the Kutkai strategic outpost at around 11 pm.

“Both towns are now under our full control. The MNDAA has taken over in Hseni while we are controlling Kutkai. We don’t have detailed information on those [junta troops] who surrendered,” said a TNLA communications officer.

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) is also active in Kutkai Township.

On the other side, at least eight junta-allied militias have been operating in the same area.

“Junta troops emerged from the strategic outpost holding a white flag, surrendering to the TNLA. They were ordered to leave the town before morning, so they will be in Lashio by now,” said a Kutkai resident.

However, the TNLA has not said whether surrendering troops were detained or allowed to retreat to the junta’s Northeastern Command at Lashio.

The Brotherhood Alliance said it will continue fighting against junta military targets where its troops have not surrendered to the resistance.
Although the TNLA has taken control of Kutkai town, clashes in the surrounding township were ongoing on Monday. Fierce fighting was also reported in Nawnghkio, Mongmit and Kyaukme townships on Monday.

Since the start of the year, the junta’s military has weakened on every front and its ability to launch counterattacks is being gradually degraded, said the Brotherhood Alliance in a statement released on Monday. “Junta forces are being depleted both in terms of combatants and weapons,” said the statement.

Operation 1027 is bolstered by coordinated action by several resistance groups, including  People’s Defense Force under the civilian National Unity Govt and coordinated offensive has also seized 14 towns in Kachin, Kayah, and Chin states and Sagaing Region, bringing the total number of towns seized by the resistance over the past two months to 30.
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/mya...state.html

[Tee tiong huat]

Military junta deserved it. Even rebels are unhappy with this evil junta for killing so many unarmed civilians. Might as well proclaimed it a communist country and get kicked out of ASEAN immediately.

China had been mediating between the two sides to seek an end to the fighting on its border

Beijing had grown increasingly frustrated in recent months by the junta's lack of action on closing down the scam centres such as those in Laukkai
More than 2,300 military personnel and their family members reportedly surrendered

The Three Brotherhood Alliance said it had taken over Laukkai — a hub for online scam operations in northern Shan State on the border with China — after the military's regional headquarters located there surrendered.

"All Kokang region has become a land with no Myanmar Military Council anymore," the rebels said in a statement.

A general view shows Laukkai, the capital of Myanmar's Kokang region
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/mya...wn-4029071

[Tee tiong huat]

Arakan Army Steps Up War Against Junta in Myanmar’s Rakhine State With Attack on Naval Base. 

Myanmar’s junta faced a second day of attacks on its main naval base in the south of Rakhine State on Tuesday after the Arakan Army – which announced Monday it was escalating attacks on junta troops in coordination with allies in the western state – seized junta outposts in two northern townships of the western state over the weekend.

The ethnic army launched its first-ever attack on Danyawaddy Naval Base in Kyaukphyu Township – south of the state capital Sittwe – with rocket fire on Monday.

Clashes also broke out in Ramree town on Madae Island, which is adjacent Kyaukphyu Township, today. A company owned by Aung Pyae Sone, the son of junta boss Min Aung Hlaing, is building a submarine port with foreign companies inside the naval base.

In northern Rakhine State’s Kyauktaw Township, the AA captured a junta outpost at about 9 p.m. on Saturday after its more than 200 troops surrendered. It had been attempting to seize Taung Shay Taung outpost since Dec. 25 in coordination with allied resistance groups.
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/ara...-base.html

[Tee tiong huat]

United Wa State Army (UWSA) soldiers march during a display for the media in Pansang, Wa territory in north east Myanmar. 

News London tin market's fortunes remain beholden to Myanmar's United Wa State Army, which controls one of the world's largest mines.

[Tee tiong huat]

ASEAN special envoy meets Myanmar junta chief

Myanmar's junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who ousted the elected govt in a coup on February 1, 2021, presides over army parade on Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. The
junta chief, Min Aung Hlaing, met with a special envoy from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), state media reported Thursday, as Laos takes over chairing bloc has encouraged peace efforts in the country. Jan 11 (Reuters

The military ruler met Alounkeo Kittikhoun, the chair's envoy on Myanmar crisis, amid frustration with lack of commitment from generals to forge peace under a plan agreed to among all ASEAN members, including Myanmar, in 2021.

[Tee tiong huat]

Myanmar arms dealer among three convicted of trying to leave Singapore with half a million dollars.

SINGAPORE – An arms dealer for the Myanmar junta was recently fined after failing to declare that he was leaving Singapore with half a million dollars.

Checks by The Straits Times found that the personal details of Kyaw Min Oo, 41, matched those listed on various sanctions issued by the United States, United Kingdom, European Union and Canada.

Kyaw was caught on June 15 at Changi Airport Terminal 1 along with two other Myanmar nationals – Wai Sar Tun, 41, and Win Myint, 42 – after the police were alerted to them carrying cash amounting to more than $20,000 out of the country. Wai was found with $250,000 in cash in one luggage bag, while Win had $249,000 in a separate bag.

The cash belonged to Kyaw, who was carrying $9,925, the police said in a statement on Jan 5.
All three men were convicted on Dec 26.

Kyaw was fined $10,000, while the other two men were fined $5,000 each.

[Tee tiong huat]

Myanmar junta and armed rebels agree ceasefire

China mediates truce that would halt months of conflict that has displaced half a million people in country’s north

Myanmar’s military and an alliance of armed ethnic minority groups have announced a China-mediated ceasefire after months of conflict that has posed the biggest threat to the junta since it seized power in 2021.

Fighting has claimed hundreds of lives and displaced more than half a million people since October, when the alliance launched an offensive against the junta.

The alliance has seized several towns and border hubs in Myanmar’s northern Shan state that are vital for trade with China, a major arms supplier and ally of the military.

“With the help of China’s facilitation, there was a meeting in (the southern Chinese city) Kunming. We have reached a ceasefire agreement,” junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun told AFP.

Tar Bhone Kyaw of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) – one member of the alliance – said they had “agreed to reopen border trade” with China.

Beijing also announced the ceasefire on Friday, but no details of the areas it would cover or when it would come into force were given by any party.

“The two sides agreed to an immediate ceasefire, to disengage military personnel and resolve relevant disputes and demands through peaceful negotiations,” the foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/j...-ceasefire

[Tee tiong huat]

Myanmar Junta Boss in Talks with Thai Military Chief. Myanmar junta boss Min Aung Hlaing and Thailand’s armed forces chief General Songwit Noonpackdee on Friday reportedly discussed online gambling and telecom fraud, especially in Myawaddy on the Thai border.

A junta website said the online meeting was also attended by Thailand’s Air Chief Marshal Chakorn Tawanjang and Lieutenant General Ye Win Oo of Myanmar’s Office of the Commander-in-Chief.

[Tee tiong huat]

Myanmar Junta Boss in Talks with Thai Military Chief...Thailand’s military chief General Songwit Noonpackdee held an online meeting with Myanmar junta boss Min Aung Hlaing to discuss border issues

Myanmar Junta Breaks Chinese-Brokered Ceasefire: TNLA

Myanmar’s junta has already broken Thursday’s ceasefire in northern Shan State with continuing airstrikes, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) said.

Representatives of the Brotherhood Alliance and the regime met in the Chinese city of Kunming on Wednesday and Thursday. They agreed an immediate ceasefire and to resolve issues through dialogue.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told the media on Friday that a ceasefire and peace talks serve the interests of all parties and boost peace along the border. “China stands ready to continue to provide support and assistance to the best of our capability and play a constructive role,” she said.

However, 19 artillery strikes were reported in three northern Shan State townships and neighboring Mogoke Township in Mandalay Region on Friday, the TNLA said. The junta’s base in Kyaukme town twice shelled Par Poat village and regime troops at Phyu Young village in Mogoke shelled Nyaung Kone village.

The junta base in Hsipaw town in northern Shan State shelled Mann Hae village on the same day.

Regime forces in Lashio city shelled Kone Paung, Ma Kee Nu and Ae Nine villages in Lashio Township.

Clashes broke out in Kyaukme Township on Saturday while junta troops attacked a TNLA base, with the armed group withdrawing after two hours of fighting. The TNLA said the junta had broken the ceasefire numerous times since Thursday.

A Lashio resident said civilians wanted the ceasefire to hold because they were struggling with many hardships. Lashio’s monasteries are crowded with displaced civilians from several townships, she told The Irrawaddy.

The Ta’ang Women’s Organization said 123 civilians were killed and 239 injured by airstrikes, shelling and landmines in 16 northern Shan State townships since Operation 1027 began on October 27.
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/mya...-tnla.html

[Tee tiong huat]

Junta Leader Shifts Focus to Power in Yangon as Resistance Gains More Ground. As junta boss Min Aung Hlaing loses his grip on power.

Arakan Army Captures Myanmar Junta Brigade General in Chin State Rout: Report. The ethnic-Rakhine Arakan Army (AA) has captured the chief of 19th Military Operations Command (MOC-19) after clashes with junta forces in Chin State’s Paletwa Township.

MOC-19 chief Brigadier-General Zin Myo Swe fled during the AA’s attack on a junta base in Paletwa Township on Thursday. He was captured the following day, according to sources.
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/ara...eport.html

[Tee tiong huat]

Myanmar ethnic minority fighters claim to have captured town near Bangladesh border. Myanmar ethnic minority fighters claim to have captured town near Bangladesh border

Clashes have rocked Myanmar’s western Rakhine and Chin states since the Arakan Army attacked security forces in November 2023. An armed ethnic minority group in Myanmar said it has captured a town and several junta outposts near the border with Bangladesh and India, in the latest setback for the embattled military.

Clashes have rocked Myanmar’s western Rakhine and Chin states since Arakan Army (AA) attacked security forces in Nov 2023, ending a ceasefire that had largely held since the junta’s 2021 coup.

The AA is one of dozen armed ethnic minority groups in Myanmar’s border regions, many which have battled military since independence from Britain in 1948 over autonomy and control of lucrative resources....

[Tee tiong huat]

Myanmar ethnic minority fighters claim to have captured town near Bangladesh border. Myanmar ethnic minority fighters claim to have captured town near Bangladesh border

Clashes have rocked Myanmar’s western Rakhine and Chin states since the Arakan Army attacked security forces in November 2023. An armed ethnic minority group in Myanmar said it has captured a town and several junta outposts near the border with Bangladesh and India, in the latest setback for the embattled military.

Clashes have rocked Myanmar’s western Rakhine and Chin states since Arakan Army (AA) attacked security forces in Nov 2023, ending a ceasefire that had largely held since the junta’s 2021 coup.

The AA is one of dozen armed ethnic minority groups in Myanmar’s border regions, many which have battled military since independence from Britain in 1948 over autonomy and control of lucrative resources....

Myanmar Junta Forcibly Recruiting Bago Villagers as Resistance Threatens Yangon-Naypyitaw.

Weakened by troop shortages and a wave of defeats, Myanmar’s military regime has been forcibly recruiting civilians to form militia groups in Bago Region, according to locals and resistance groups. Last month, the junta also released jailed soldiers from prisons across the country to serve on the frontlines.
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/mya...-link.html

[Tee tiong huat]

Myanmar rebel group claims control of India border town

Ethnic insurgents in western Myanmar say they have captured an important town on one of the main routes to India from military forces.

The Arakan Army (AA) - one of three armed groups that launched a major new offensive against the military in October - says it has taken control of Paletwa, in Chin State.

"There is not a single military council camp left in the entire Paletwa area," the group said on its Telegram channel. Myanmar's military has not commented.

Developments in Paletwa - which lies close to Myanmar's border with India and Bangladesh - will be closely watched by Delhi. The town is part of an ongoing multi-million-dollar development project backed by India that aims to improve connectivity in the remote region.

The AA is one of the newest but best-equipped of Myanmar's many ethnic armed groups, and has been battling the military - and gaining ground - in Rakhine State, and parts of neighbouring Chin State, for several years. Even before the military grabbed power in February 2021, AA fighters had made significant gains in Rakhine. Two years ago, it claimed to control 60% of the state.

But at the time of the 2021 coup, it was observing a ceasefire, and the army avoided confrontations with it so it could concentrate its efforts on crushing opposition to the coup.

However, last October, the AA announced it was joining the wider struggle against military rule as part of the Brotherhood Alliance, and launched a series of attacks against a military badly overstretched by opposition to its coup across much of the country. And over the past 11 weeks, the alliance has inflicted a series of humiliating defeats on the military along the Chinese border.

Then last Saturday - on the other side of the country - the AA took control of the last military post in Paletwa township, the hilltop base at Meewa, which back in 2020 it had been unable to take after 42 days of fighting.

With the port of Paletwa on the Kaladan River under its control, the AA now controls road and water transport to the Indian border, and has a logistics base from which it can plan further attacks in Rakhine State.

The loss of any of the main towns in Rakhine to the insurgents would be a devastating blow to the authority of the military. It is reported to be using airstrikes and helicopter gunships to try to prevent the AA from advancing to the town of Kyauktaw, which sits astride the main road linking the Rakhine capital Sittwe with the rest of Myanmar.

It is not clear yet what the AA will do next. It may wish to consolidate the gains it has made and minimise further losses in its ranks. Its avowed goal is some form of independence or autonomy within a federal state, which its leadership now appears to have decided is best achieved under a new, elected government rather than under military rule.

The bigger question now after the fall of Paletwa is whether the junta can restore morale in its own ranks, and persuade its soldiers to keep fighting against opposition which now comes from so many quarters.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-67982635

[Tee tiong huat]

Myanmar Junta Infantry Battalion Surrenders to AA in Rakhine State

The junta’s Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 539 based near Kan Sauk village in Rakhine State’s Kyauktaw Township surrendered to the Arakan Army (AA) on Tuesday morning. The ethnic Rakhine armed group launched attacks on LIB 539 and nearby Artillery Battalion 377 on January 11. The entire LIB 539 surrendered after the AA seized the artillery battalion base on Sunday..

The AA used a megaphone to order [LIB 539] to surrender throughout Monday evening,” a local resident close to the AA told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday morning. “Junta troops failed to respond and hid in their trenches but didn’t fire guns or artillery. When the AA shelled the battalion this morning, they came out raising a white flag.

Local media said nearly 300 junta soldiers and their family members surrendered. A few hours after the surrender of LIB 539, junta soldiers and police stationed at the central police station in Kyauktaw abandoned their posts along with their family members, local media reported.

On Monday, AA chief Major-General Tun Myat Naing warned junta bases to surrender or face attacks. Posting on X (formerly Twitter), the AA chief told junta soldiers in Rakhine to “raise the white flag if you don’t want to get killed or injured.” He also told junta troops to contact the AA if they wanted to flee and the ethnic armed group would let them go.

The two junta battalions had conducted continuous attacks on nearby villages during the AA’s attacks, inflicting civilian casualties and property damage, according to residents.

The AA also seized a junta artillery unit on Mt. Kyeing Taung in Minbya Township on Tuesday. The regime responded with air and artillery strikes that locals fear may have killed or injured civilians. The mountain is a junta artillery stronghold stretching six miles long and two miles wide. LIBs 379, 380 and 541 are based at the foot of the mountain. All 3-units have retreated to the LIB 379 base to defend against attacks.

On Monday, over 100 junta soldiers including the commander of a junta tactical command base in Rathedaung Township surrendered to the AA. The regime has denied they surrendered.
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/mya...state.html

[Tee tiong huat]

4 Myanmar Junta Battalions Surrounded in Shan Town. The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and allied People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) launched an attack to seize Mongmit (Momeik) town in northern Shan State at around 6 am on Thursday.

Mongmit residents are now trapped by fierce fighting between the resistance allies and four Myanmar junta battalions based in the town. KIA and PDF troops are mainly targeting Mongmit’s hill-top tactical command base and police station while regime forces retaliate with air and artillery strikes.

“They have been fighting since around 6 am. Residents are hiding in bomb shelters. I heard that [allied resistance forces] seized Arthan Ward in the town at around 10.30 am. Fighting is still going on. Some residents fled the town over the past few days, but many stayed behind and are trapped,” said a Mongmit resident.

The four junta units based in Mongmit are Light Infantry Battalion 348 under Northern Command, a tactical unit, and Infantry Battalions 223 and 276 overseen by 21st Military Operations Command based in Kachin State’s Bhamo. Another resident said: “It appears that the town has been besieged. There are people trapped here. I can hear the booms of planes and artillery strikes. [Junta] aircraft bombed Shwe Zarli [village close to the town] and houses are burning.”

Fighting between junta troops and combined forces of the KIA, All Burma Students Democratic Front, Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and PDFs erupted in Mongmit Township in early January.

On January 5, TNLA-led forces captured a junta outpost at a village six miles east of Mongmit Town. Regime responded with air & artillery strikes, forcing many residents to flee town. Mongmit is the latest target in a coordinated resistance offensive across northern Shan State has seized over 500 junta positions, including military command centers around 16 towns and vital trade routes with China.

Mongmit Township lies on the Shweli River and is home to 65,000 people living in the town and 97 surrounding villages, according to the 2019 census
Mongmit town is located just 28 miles from Mandalay’s Mogoke, known worldwide as “Ruby Land” for its gemstone mines.
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/fou...-town.html

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33 Towns in 80 Days: Mapping the Gains of Myanmar’s Anti-Junta Offensives.

The momentum of the Brotherhood Alliance’s anti-regime offensive, known as Operation 1027, has steadily increased for more than two months since it was launched in northern Shan State on Oct. 27 last year.  By the 80th day of the operation on Sunday, the regime had lost 33 towns across the country to the alliance and allied resistance forces.

The Brotherhood Alliance consists of the Arakan Army (AA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA).
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/conflicts...sives.html

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https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/conflicts...sives.html

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https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/conflicts...sives.html

Wa Army Denies to Attack Myanmar Junta’s Triangle Command HQ.

United Wa State Army (UWSA) said on Wednesday that it had no plan to attack Kengtung in eastern Shan State, where the Myanmar military’s Triangle Region Command is based. Rumors have swirling since for week that Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic army would attempt to seize Kengtung aft assumed control of Hopang and Panlong towns in northern Shan State earlier this month.

To squash rumors, UWSA released a statement on Wednesday saying it maintain its truce with the Myanmar govt, pledging neutrality in ongoing armed conflicts & vowing not to intervene in any way. UWSA liaison officer Nyi Rang confirmed the statement.

Following China-brokered talks on Jan. 10-11 in Kunming, the regime & Brotherhood Alliance 3ethnic armies—Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, the Arakan Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army—agreed temporary ceasefire in northern Shan State. UWSA said in its statement it hoped all ethnic armed groups would observe the ceasefire.

The UWSA has provided shelter for civilians displaced by fighting since the Brotherhood Alliance launched Operation 1027 in late October in northern Shan. It has also facilitated the return of junta soldiers who surrendered to the Brotherhood Alliance, as well as civilians, to their battalions and homes through its territory.

After splitting from the Communist Party of Burma, the UWSA signed a ceasefire in 1989 with the then military regime known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council

Both former president ex-general Thein Sein and current junta chief Min Aung Hlaing have served as Triangle Region Command chief. The current commander is Major General Aung Khine Win.

The UWSA refers to the approximately 1,500-sq-km area comprising Mongmao, Monglin and Mongpauk districts plus Panghsang Special Township as “northern Wa State”. During the 1990s, the ethnic army expanded its territory to include Monghsat District on the border with Thailand in southern Shan State, with the agreement of the then junta. The UWSA refers to the district as “southern Wa State”.
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/wa-...nd-hq.html

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Nationalist Monk Briefly Detained After Joining Chant Calling for Myanmar’s Dictator to Step Down...
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/nat...e_vignette