Our day started early with sounds of explosion in several places in Yangon. As early as 4:42am, five consecutive explosions were heard in Insein Township, and around 5.15am, seven consecutive explosions blasted in North Okkalar township. More explosions were heard in South Okkalar, North Dagon, Yankin, Kamayut, East Dagon, Hmawbi, and Sanchaung in this morning. According to Khit Thit media, most of the explosions occurred at junta’s administration offices such as traffic police outposts, township electricity offices, and road junctions. A young boy who was collecting trash near Hmawbi Township Electricity Office lost his arm as the bomb blasted according to DVB News. Due to the bomb attacks, the regime’s forces in Yangon conducted search in these areas and road blocks were imposed.
It was quite an eventful day for Yangon residents. In addition to bomb blasts all over the city, a bank robbery took place at Global Treasure Bank in Mayangone Township. According to locals in the neighbourhood, four men with pistols came inside the bank and robbed, and robbers took about MMK 100,000,000 but the actual figure was yet to be confirmed. In the Safe Cities Index 2021, a report published by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Myanmar’s commercial capital ranked at the last with lowest average score. The index broke down into digital, health, infrastructure, and personal security sectors but Yangon remained at low level of security in each sector. Whether its the regime’s atrocities or counter-attack by the resistance forces, the safety of our civilians remains at risk.
Elsewhere in the country, the regime’s forces continued to commit violence against innocent civilians. We reported last week that villagers from Kabaung Kya village in Taze township, Sagaing Region had to flee from their homes as the regime’s forces raided their homes. Three days after the raid on August 26, locals found six dead bodies in the village. Five out of six bodies were certainly villagers. After the killing spree at Kabaung Kya village, regime’s forces moved on to nearby Laik Chan village and committed similar violence against the villagers. A total of 3000 locals from both Kabaung Kya and Laik Chan villages are now displaced from their homes and hiding in the woods for their safety.
Every time we hear news like that, we disgust the regime’s inhumane soldiers to our core. But last night, we received a rather interesting news report from Chin State’s Matupi township. At Infantry Battalion 140, a soldier shot and killed a captain who was reading out a propagandised telegram which said, “Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will be released and an election will be held.” The soldier shouted that he had no trust in said telegram before he shot the captain, and afterwards, he chose to end his life. According to DVB News, the telegram is a propaganda campaign by the military regime to prevent infantry soldiers from defecting. So far, about 1500 soldiers have defected from the military and National Unity Government (NUG) has been providing code numbers for CDM soldiers.
Another unusual news came from infamous Insein prison today. Myanmar Now media reported that at least 30 female detainees from Insein prison were transferred to prisons in smaller towns starting yesterday. Most of the transferred detainees were charged with Penal Code 505a for incitement in martial law imposed townships such as Hlaing Tharyar, Shwepyithar, North Okkalar, South Dagon, North Dagon and Dagon Seikkan. Among them, three NLD members and former political prisoners Daw Mi Nge, Daw Ni Ni May Myint, and Daw Chit Chit Chaw were transferred to Tharyarwaddy prison, Thayat prison and Myingyan prison respectively. Yangon Region Prison Department did not announce details of the transfers.
This evening in Chan Mya Tharsi township, Mandalay, a 50-year-old man was shot and killed by the regime’s forces according to a witness. The regime’s forces were chasing two men on motorbike who were allegedly thrown grenades at the soldiers’ station, but innocent rickshaw driver U Nay Win took the bullet instead. The witness also said that despite the junta’s forces claim of grenades, explosion was not heard at the incident.
Despite their savagery, junta’s forces and their lackeys are still at risk of ambush attacks by resistance forces. This morning around 10am, junta-appointed village administrator from Taungthar township, Mandalay Region U Myint Nwe was shot dead by TTA Guerrilla Group. In their statement, they killed U Myint Nwe because he was serving as an informant to the regime’s forces. In Pauk Township, Magway Region, an explosion took place at a school where regime’s forces were stationed and Pauk People Defense Force (PDF) claimed responsibility for the explosion. In Sagaing Region, Kawlin township, five military trucks were detonated on Shwebo-Myitkyina highway road around 10am this morning. The local PDF member said that four trucks suffered from the explosion and one truck escaped. About 40 soldiers could die, as the PDF member estimated.
The eventful day would not be complete without protests against the military regime. From guerrilla strikes to mass rallies, protests were observed in several townships of Yangon, Mandalay, Taninthayi, Sagaing regions. Today’s theme of protest was burning ASEAN flag to condemn the 10-member bloc for favouring the military regime. As the credential challenge at UN General Assembly approached, protesters called on the international community to support the civilians elected NUG government.
