116The military junta is upping their dirty game by issuing yet another gag order on U Kyi Win, one of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi lawyers, before the upcoming court date on October 26, in which the detained leader is scheduled to testify herself. This is the fifth lawyer on the DASSK team to be slapped with gag orders The military lackey came to deliver the issuance to U Kyi Win’s office yesterday, to ensure the lawyer will be barred from speaking to both local and international organizations and news media in the coming days. These gag orders are nothing but vile tricks from Min Aung Hlaung and his administration to stop the public from hearing what Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has to say about every bogus charge that she is currently facing. Is there anything else left that they wouldn’t stoop so low on?
It’s a moot question anyway as the regime forces continue to rampage violence across the country today. Last night, one civilian from Sagaing Region’s Wetlet town was shot to death for no valid reasons. The deceased was reportedly a person with mental disability, and he was shot to death because he didn’t stop when the patrolling soldiers asked him to stop. His dead body was not returned to the families, according to a follow up from DVB News. In Chin State’s Matupi Township, three houses were set on fire and two were destroyed by heavy artillery fire on the night of October 23 in Rezua town, the residents said. There were no clashes going on yesterday, and this was an isolated arbitrary shooting by the regime troops which were deployed in the town. Residents said they tried to put out the fire and only one house was able to be salvaged.
On the other side of Myanmar this morning, residents from Mobye and Pekhon in southern Shan State were suffering similar heavy artillery attacks. The Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 422 stationed in Mobye town started firing heavy artillery at 8am, hoping to draw out the members of the People’s Defense Forces. Residents said the regime forces always did this as a means to clear their routes as they left their station. But their reckless attacks killed one 60-year-old woman and gravely injured three other civilians who were just going about their day near their houses.
This morning as well, Mya Yee Nandar Housing from Mandalay was raided after yesterday’s bomb attack in a nearby area killed one sergeant and critically injured another and one soldier. Residents said three military vehicles and ten cars showed up around 8am and the soldiers were shouting profanity as they searched. Some individuals, including women, were brought out of the building with their belongings but whether or not they were arrested could not be confirmed, one-woman resident told Myanmar Now as she couldn’t go and check due to security reasons. An underground resistance group, Generation Z Power, claimed responsibility for the bomb attack but it was still not clear whether the raid was related to yesterday’s bombing.
Bomb attacks by both resistance groups and regime followers were also reported today. In Mon State, three National League for Democracy offices in Kyaikhto, Bilin and Thaton townships were blasted on the same night on October 23, one party official told DVB News. The explosions happened late at night so thankfully no one was injured, but the entire building of Thaton NLD office was reportedly destroyed. In Sagaing Region’s Monywa city, several explosions rocked near the town hall and nursing training school this morning. One of the blasts near a nursing training school reportedly killed two children on the road. With intensifying efforts on both sides, there will be civilian casualties, which is devastating but unavoidable, so we all need to be super vigilant and careful when we go outside. Burmese National Defence Organisation made an announcement on its Facebook page yesterday, warning the passengers and cars on Yangon-Mandalay expressway (between Yangon, Bago, Phyu and Tharzi) to hoist a white flag when traveling to avoid instances where normal civilians could be hurt. The group warned the people to not make unnecessary trips during these tension-high times. Speaking of tension heightening, eight resistance groups-alliance in Sagaing Region’s Myaung Township and regime troops faced off against each other on October 23 according to the residents. The alliance launched a landmine attack against the military convoy around 1am, hitting two vehicles and reportedly killing at least 15 soldiers. In retaliation, the regime soldiers fired back at the surrounding areas and torched at least six poultry farms, according to the residents.
As we head towards nine months under the military regime, many more cracks began to appear in the façade of the administration that Min Aung Hlaing built by force. Today, reports from Bago Region showed that more village and ward administrators resigned in Paungde and Yedashe townships. About 12 from Paungde and 20 administrators from Yedashe left their positions as of October 23, citing security reasons. These added onto over 100 local administrators from Sagaing, Magwe and Yangon regions who quit working for the military regime in October.
