Mogok handed over to Myanmar military; UN expert condemns US ending temporary protected status

Mandalay’s Mogok handed over to Myanmar military control

Nearly 100 military vehicles entered Mogok Township, Mandalay Region on Friday, as part of a China-brokered ceasefire deal between the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the regime in Naypyidaw reached one month earlier, on Oct. 29. Mogok is located 124 miles (200 km) north of Mandalay.

Soe Htay, a Mogok resident and pro-democracy activist, told DVB that the TNLA will keep a liaison office in Mogok town and continue operating mining sites in the township as the lucrative ruby mining industry is a source of revenue for both the regime and ethnic armed groups. He added that the People’s Defense Force (PDF), which assisted the TNLA in seizing and holding Mogok, has redeployed its troops outside of town. 

Lway Yay Oo, the TNLA spokesperson, did not respond to a DVB request for comment. However, a PDF spokesperson told DVB earlier this month that the military has recaptured almost all of Madaya Township, which is located next to Mogok, and is preparing to launch a counteroffensive to retake neighbouring Singu Township. Singu is located 34-57 miles (54-92 km) north of Madaya and Mandalay. Read more

UN expert condemns US ending temporary protected status

Tom Andrews, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma, issued a statement on Thursday condemning the U.S. decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nearly 4,000 Burma nationals residing in the U.S. He stated that the move comes as the crisis since the 2021 coup continues to worsen with rising violence against civilians and the regime’s 2025-26 “sham” elections scheduled to begin on Dec. 28.