Spring Revolution – Mizzima Daily Notes

4 October 2026

Revolutionary Politics and Military Developments

• In Chaung-U Township, Monywa District, Sagaing Region, an airstrike on the evening of 2 October reportedly killed two local residents and injured another, according to ground-based military sources. A day earlier, the commander of Battalion 15 of the Monywa District People’s Defence Force, known as Pyann Hlwar, or Wai Zin Aung, had reportedly gone over to the military authorities.

• Heavy fighting is continuing between military columns and combined Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) forces along the Thee Baw Boe stream ridge area on the Thai–Myanmar border. Despite the fighting, online scam operations are reportedly continuing in the border area. The situation highlights the continued overlap between armed conflict and transnational criminal activity.

Telecommunications, Digital Technology and the Telenor Case

• Since the military takeover, military control and demands over Myanmar’s telecommunications sector have increasingly become the subject of political and legal scrutiny. In particular, questions surrounding Telenor Myanmar, including company operations, user data and requests for telecommunications information, have led to political and legal investigations in Norway.

• Deputy Minister Thet Win Aung from the military administration’s Ministry of Digital Development and Communications said on 20 September that 5G networks could soon be introduced in Myanmar. However, significant gaps remain between technological development and practical accessibility, as internet and phone services continue to be cut in many parts of the country and telecommunications infrastructure has been damaged during the conflict.

International and Regional Developments

• International concerns related to China continue to focus on security, investment and information. Britain’s domestic security and intelligence agency MI5 has alleged that a Chinese organization funding research at UK universities has “very strong links” to a Chinese intelligence agency and has urged academics to suspend cooperation with the organization.

• A study has also argued that Chinese investment can, in some circumstances, strengthen authoritarian governments, while in other situations it may intensify political conflict and weaken incumbent governments. Separately, some Western agencies have accused China of altering data to understate death tolls, allegations rejected by the Chinese government.

• In Tibet, data indicate that ethnic Tibetans hold only 62 of 240 senior positions across major party, government, security and judicial institutions, with the remaining 178 positions held by non-Tibetans. Reporters Without Borders has also reported the existence of a network of influencers in Greece allegedly linked to the Chinese Communist Party and promoting China-related content on social media.

• Amid continuing U.S.–China competition in technology and the economy, U.S. President Donald Trump has said that a Taiwanese semiconductor company would invest US$500 billion in the United States. Analysts have suggested that the company may be Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).

• Taiwan’s coast guard reportedly dispatched patrol vessels to drive away two Chinese fishing boats that had entered restricted waters near the Taiwan-controlled Dongsha Islands.

• In Thailand, Suphachai Jaismut, legal chief of the governing Bhumjaithai Party, has proposed abolishing the current legally guaranteed funding system for Thai PBS and replacing it with annual allocations from the government budget. Critics have expressed concern that such a change could increase political pressure or influence over Thai PBS’s journalism and editorial independence.

Natural Disasters and Social Conditions

• Flooding continues across 26 Thai provinces and Bangkok, affecting approximately 1.18 million households and 3.24 million people, according to Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation as of 6:00 a.m. on 3 October. Flooding has been driven by water flowing south from northern areas and continued heavy rainfall, while emergency relief operations are ongoing in affected areas, including Bangkok.