Min Aung Hlaing’s State Administration Council (SAC) pressed corruption charges which carries up to 15 years in jail to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a mayor, a deputy-mayor and a development council committee member of Naypyidaw, SAC’s media reported today.
Yesterday evening, news emerged from NGO community active in Tanintharyi Region that their operations were asked to cease immediately by regional SAC officials. Confirmed affected NGOs include Child Fund, World Vision, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) among others, although unverified reports in the NGO community reports higher number or all NGOs in the region being asked to halt. In response, MSF’s deputy program manager Adrian Guadarrama claims that this suspension will affect over 2,000 TB patients that the organization is supporting, in a statement. NGOs and private health sector have become more important since the healthcare system collapse in the aftermath of coup and junta’s attack on health, and we fear this will have serious long-term implications for the operations of CSOs, NGOs and health in Myanmar.
Around 8am today, a military aircraft carrying 14 people crashed in Pyin Oo Lwin and 12 people reportedly died, two people including a kid were injured. Casualties included soldiers and civilians, including two prominent monks, one shaman who is allegedly acting as a prophet to Min Aung Hlaing himself. However, unverified reports have emerged that there were two additional people on board, who were senior SAC generals and they were also likely to be killed in the accident. As of yet, there is no confirmation on the identity of these two.
Around 3 pm today, a USDP member called Nay Myo Aung was shot in the head and killed in Botahtaung Pagoda Market compound. As usual, the attacker was unknown. The man participated in by-election 2018 from Seikkan Township of Yangon and initially won but UEC later denounced his seat due to voting fraud and his NLD opponent was declared a winner instead.
In Kayah (Karenni) State, the ongoing battle in Demoso is getting intensified with the township being surrounded by SAC’s forces. Weapon shortage is putting local resistance group Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) at a disadvantage, according to their spokesperson. Higher influx of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and increased food insecurity is also growing concern. So far IDPs in Kayah is estimated to be over 100,000 and mass deaths from starvation, disease and exposure could occur as residents are forced to flee into forests from junta’s bombs and now cut off from food, water and medicine by the regime, the UN Special Rapporteur to Myanmar Tom Andrews issued a statement on the worsening humanitarian crisis in Kayah State yesterday. SAC troops are employing airstrikes and artillery shelling to residential areas in the state and yesterday a young man died as artillery pieces hit his house, at Loikaw, the capital of Kayah State.
In another battle areas, yesterday night, around 10pm, in Shwegu, Kachin State, KIA assaulted the local police station and a ship stationed at the local harbor carrying SAC troops. Details of the battle is yet to be known.
Frenzied shooting by SAC’s forces at a village in Yinmarbin district, Sagaing Region on June 5 caused the death of a 28 years old woman, villagers answered to the local media today. Yinmarbin has been facing clashes between local CDF and junta’s forces recently and junta’s forces have been reportedly raiding and looting at will to villages in the area for some days.
In business front, it came to light today that Myanmar Agribusiness Public Company Limited (MAPCO), a public company headed by prominent tycoon U Chit Khine, head of Eden Group of Companies, had sold its shares in Mytel. Mytel is a telecommunication company jointly owned and operated by the junta’s military with the junta’s son allegedly having a major stake in it. The shares sold are reportedly worth MMK 1.08billion. U Chit Khine himself is no stranger to collaboration with junta’s military and was subject to sanctions by the US Government, so this moves come at a surprise.
Also in today, NLD party issued a letter condemning SAC’s efforts in threatening elected MPs from 2020 Myanmar General Election not to be part of NUG, CRPH and PDF.
And peaceful protests against the military dictatorship continued today in Mandalay, Yangon, Dawei, Hpakant, Katha, Bu Ta Lin, Yinmarbin, Wet Let, Myaing, Kale, Nyaung-U, and many other places.
