Min Aung Hlaing keeps reshuffling the military leadership, by retiring some generals and replacing them with his loyalists. This could be a sign of him being worried of internal divisions, or maybe his goal is to move some old generals into civilian roles and make them run for the next fake elections (hopefully the regime will fall before then).
Either way, the military regime has to deal with its weak troops. There are several reports of defections and human losses, and now it seems that the military regime ordered the wives of mid-ranking officers to undergo military training. According to some sources even their children may have received training by the Burmese Army.
The Arakan Army met with the National Unity Government to discuss various topics. Let’s not forget that the main goal of the Arakan Army (and other EAOs as well), is independence from central Burma. They surely have every right to self determination, and given the past experiences with the Tatmadaw and the NLD, their pragmatic approach is totally understandable. I just hope that the rights of the Rohingya will be respected by the AA, and that they will be allowed to come back to their homes (no more IDP camps) soon.
One thing is for sure. For all parties (NUG, AA and other ethnic groups), it is crucial to defeat the military regime.
POLITICS, ECONOMY AND OTHER NEWS
• Ko Win Naing Oo, a reporter for Channel Mandalay TV, charged with terrorism by the military regime
• Air force chief General Maung Maung Kyaw has been forced to retire and will be replaced by Chief of Staff (Air Force) Lieutenant General Tun Aung. The reason for this decision is unclear, although coup leader Min Aung Hlaing has been replacing military leaders with his loyalists. General Maung Maung Kyaw was considered to be close to Min Aung Hlaing, and his family owns companies involved in deals to supply the armed forces, as Reuters revealed
• According to The Irrawaddy, the military regime is forcing the wives of mid-ranking officers to undergo military training. Similar orders, involving the children of military families, have been recently reported as well. This might be a sign that the Burmese military is running thin, as the numbers of defections and casualties are on the rise, while the number of new recruits is falling, especially after last year’s coup
• Khit Thit Media released a list of names of shareholders of the Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC), a military-controlled conglomerate. It’s no secret that one of the reasons of the coup is that the military feared to lose its power in a democratic Myanmar. According to Khit Thit Media, some generals were asking for a military coup since 2019.
• The World Food Programme says food insecurity has risen sharply since the coup. In 2021 WFP delivered assistance to 2.4 million people, up from 1 million in 2020, and is targeting 4 million for 2022.
• The ASEAN Foreign ministers meeting set for January 19th in Siem Reap, Cambodia, may be postponed for unknown reasons. It will be interesting to see if Myanmar military foreign minister Wunna Maung Lwin will be invited. Myanmar has been excluded from the last few meetings under Brunei’s leadership, but in the past few weeks it appears that ASEAN is trying to normalize the situation.
• According to RFA, leaders of the National Unity Government and leaders of the Arakan Army met online for the second time to discuss the current situation, and the future prospects for Arakan people. The AA is strongly focused on its autonomy from central Burma, and there is a lack of trust towards both the Tatmadaw and the NLD, given past relations.
• Bertil Lintner paints an interesting portrait of coup leader Min Aung Hlaing and his erratic behaviour https://asiatimes.com/2022/01/is-myanmars-min-aung-hlaing-losing-his-grip/
CHIN STATE
• Matupi: 3 regime soldiers of the Light Infantry Division 304 have been killed by Resistance fighters on Monday
SAGAING
• Moetar , Katha: regime jet fighters bombed the village badly injuring 5 civilians, including children aged 5 and 7 and destroying religious buildings.
• Tamu: Resistance fighters raided a labor camp near the Indian border on Monday, killing the prison governor, his wife and 11 police officers (Source: The Irrawaddy)
• Shwe Pan Gone, Wetlet: 7 Pyu Saw Htee members (a pro-regime militia) have been killed by Resistance fighters. 4 regime soldiers carrying the dead bodies were later killed as well.
• Inngyin, Kalay: 5 regime soldiers killed by Resistance fighters, according to local PDF
• Hakhalay, Kalay: a 60 year-old man beaten to death and burned by regime soldiers. His 80 year-old mother was also killed by soldiers on December 29th
SHAN STATE
• Mupan and Monekoe: clash between the Kokang Army (MNDAA) and Brigade 211 of the Burmese military
KARENNI (KAYAH) STATE
• Loikaw: fighting between Resistance fighters and regime troops continue. Regime soldiers fired heavy artillery. 180.000 civilians have been reportedly displaced by conflict in the past year.
• Pa-An: the military regime launched an attack on a Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA)
• Funerals for Khu Norel and Saw Di Al of the Karenni Army, who fell during a battle against the military regime
KAREN (KAYIN) STATE
• Papun: a military regime’s airstrike destroyed a hospital run by the Karen National Union (KNU)
MANDALAY
• Aungmyethazan: one soldier killed in an attack on a police station
MAGWAY
• Let Yet Ma, Myaing: Residents of Let Yet Ma and nearby villages forced to flee after regime soldiers raided the area
• Ye Lay Kyun Village, Yezagyo: regime soldiers burned several civilian houses
COVID DAILY (as reported by the military-controlled Ministry of Health. Real figures are believed to be higher than officially reported)
• 151 new cases and 2 new deaths
AAPP Burma daily update (arrests and killings connected to the attempted military coup only, does not include events related to armed conflict). Since February 1st: (last update Jan 8th)
• 1,463 killed (+2)
• 11,517 total arrests (+36)
• 1,966 evading warrant (+0)
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