December 2024

Min Aung Hlaing said that fake news obstructs the country’s stability, development, and peace at the 75th Anniversary of the National Literary Award Ceremony today, he attributed the ongoing instability in the country to the spread of false and misleading information, emphasizing its damaging impact on national harmony.

During a cabinet meeting, NUG Prime Minister Mahn Win Khaing Than urged neighboring countries and the international community to reconsider supporting any election involving Myanmar’s military leadership. He warned that such support risks endorsing a leader facing potential criminal charges and arrest warrants.

UNICEF highlighted the worsening humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, where nearly 3.5 million people have been displaced by ongoing conflict. The UN agency warned that children and their families desperately need life-saving assistance and emergency services. The second round of the “Homecoming Initial Coins Offering (ICO) Round 2” by Spring Development Bank (SDB) reached its target of US$10 million. However, the sale was extended due to high demand from additional buyers, announced U Tin Tun Naing, Union Minister for Planning, Finance, and Investment.

Locals reported that telecommunications in Chin State and Sagaing Region were severely disrupted, with most phone and internet services down, except for MPT which was controlled by the regime.

Myanmar’s military-controlled embassy in Bangkok announced plans to send mobile teams to assist over 400 Myanmar migrant workers in extending passports and Certificate of Identity (CI) documents. The initiative will target factory and construction workers.

Brigadier General Thurein Tun, commander of Military Operations Command (15) and the most influential military figure in the Maungdaw region along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border, was captured by the AA. Justice For Myanmar (JFM) announced that 311 Myanmar revolutionary forces and civil society organizations sent an open letter to the CEO of Airbus, urging the company to end its involvement in activities linked to alleged war crimes by the Myanmar military.

Intense clashes continued in Falam, Chin State, with the Chin National Defense Force (CNDF) urging civilians to avoid entering or leaving the area.

The regime’s Ministry of Labor planned to inspect foreign employment agencies starting December 16 to verify whether nearly 57,000 overseas workers have been sending portions of their salaries back home.

Four Mon armed resistance groups announced plans to form a unified Mon army and commence joint military operations against the military council, following a military cooperation meeting held in a rebel-controlled area. The groups involved in this alliance are Mon State Liberation Army (MLA), Mon National Liberation Army (MNLA-AD), Mon State Defense Force (MSDF), and Mon State Revolutionary Army (MSRF). The South Korean government announced that the NUG Representative Office in South Korea will no longer process passport renewals or extensions for Myanmar citizens residing in the country.

ASEAN foreign ministers were set to meet in Bangkok to address the ongoing Myanmar crisis, according to Roy Soemirat, spokesperson for Indonesia’s political department.

Major Zayar Min of the regime’s Military Affairs Security Force (MASF) was attacked in Mayangone Township, Yangon. He was shot three to four times near the Apollo Hotel on Central Road. A resident said he was injured, but survived the attack. Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Tuhi Hossain told reporters in the capital Dhaka that the Myanmar border is no longer under the control of the military, and that meeting with the AA is not possible at the moment because it is not a government.

Duwa Lashi La, Interim president of the NUG, said that the junta is on the verge of losing more regional military commands following its defeats in the Northeastern and Western commands in his Christmas message to the public.

Ireland has announced its decision to intervene in a 2019 case filed by Gambia against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The case accuses Myanmar’s military of committing atrocities against the Rohingya minority, in violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar, soon to assume the ASEAN chairmanship, met with former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to discuss regional issues, including the Myanmar situation, according to Thai news reports.

In his New Year’s speech, Duwa Lashi La, Interim president of the NUG, stated that the potential election of the regime will not resolve political issues or conflicts, but will lead to more killings. He urged the international community not to support or cooperate with the military regime.

In his New Year’s speech, the coup leader Min Aung Hlaing accused some ethnic leaders of advocating for federalism and ethnic rights, while, in reality, working toward the disintegration of the union.

The regime’s Population Department released the preliminary results of the 2024 census, showing that Myanmar’s population exceeds 51 million. It also noted that data was collected in only 145 out of 330 townships due to security concerns.