Search Results for: Myanmar military
- Thailand News
SCB denies UN claims of aiding Myanmar military transactions
Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) firmly denied any involvement in irregular transactions with Myanmar, challenging claims made in a recent United Nations report concerning the bank’s alleged role in financing military procurement. Tom Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, released a report this week detailing how Myanmar’s military regime continues to acquire weapons used against civilians. The…
- Politics News
Myanmar military retreat from border town following rebel attacks
Myawaddy, a border town that connects to Thailand, today witnessed the withdrawal of approximately 200 Myanmar military personnel. This retreat follows a prolonged attack by anti-junta rebels, as reported by a spokesman for an ethnic armed group and local news outlets. The military-led government of Myanmar is grappling with armed rebel groups across multiple fronts and has experienced a series…
- World News
Suspected Myanmar military businessman arrested in Thailand for drug trafficking
A Myanmar businessman, who is suspected of being linked to the country’s ruling military junta, has been arrested in Bangkok. According to Reuters, three unnamed sources supplied information about his connections to the junta, after police arrested him over drug trafficking. Thailand’s deputy police spokesperson Kissana Phathanacharoen, says they conducted an early morning raid in Bangkok last week, finding the…
- World News
Interpol turns down Myanmar military’s request to assist them counter “terrorism”
In response to the Myanmar military’s appeal to assist them in countering “terrorism” threats in the post-coup nation, the international police organisation Interpol turned down the request and said it will not intervene in any nation’s domestic political affairs. An Interpol spokesperson told CNA that the organisation does not comment on specific cases or operations of member countries unless in…
- World News
Meta bans Myanmar military-owned telco from Facebook
Myanmar’s military junta chief has woken up to find his partly-owned telecom company Mytel being barred from Facebook as Meta, Facebook and Instagram’s new company umbrella, is pulling the plug on business related to the Tatmadaw, the Burmese military. Facebook has nearly 29 million users in Myanmar, in a country with a population of 54 million. Mytel is on of…
- World News
Meta removes Myanmar military businesses from its Facebook following lawsuit
Myanmar military junta chief Min Aung Hlaing yesterday woke up to see his partly-owned telecom company Mytel being removed from Facebook as Meta started to ban businesses related to Tatmadaw, also known as the military, from functioning on its platform. The move came just hours after lawyers from the US and the UK launched a $150 billion lawsuit on behalf…
- World News
Myanmar military will not attend Asia-Europe Meeting, sources say
Myanmar’s military has reportedly notified Cambodia that it will not attend the 13th ASEM Summit, where leaders from Asia and Europe meet (virtually) for two days, saying it would only send a technical team to watch the talks. The meeting, which starts today and ends tomorrow, will focus on the interaction of four main ideas: multilateralism, growth, sustainable development, and…
- World News
More than 100 Burmese citizens killed in the past 24 hours – Myanmar military defies international demands
The reported killing of protesters and Burmese citizens by Myanmar’s Tatmadaw of over 100 people in the past 24 hours, makes Saturday, March 27 the single deadliest day since February 1 coup. The number of Burmese civilians reported killed since the coup has reached 440 people. On the BBC, more than 90 deaths were confirmed by the Assistance Association for…
- World News
Myanmar military unfazed by looming sanctions
Myanmar’s military is unfazed by looming sanctions with generals saying they are ready to withstand being isolated by the international world. UN special envoy on Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener says at least 38 more people have been killed as of today with thousands fleeing an industrial suburb of Yangon after 40 people were killed there on last Sunday. Residents also…
- World News
Thailand calls on Myanmar military to release detainees and to de-escalate the situation
Thailand is urging Myanmar to release everyone who was detained by the military following last month’s coup. Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement today calling on a de-escalation of the country’s situation where many have been injured and even killed in protests. “As a neighbor, sharing a long common border, and with the Myanmar and Thai peoples having…
- Politics News
US government urges Myanmar military to stop violence and step down
The US government is urging Myanmar’s military to stop the violence against coup protesters and step down, after the death of a young woman. The recommendation comes as the US, along with Britain, Australia, and Japan, commit to issuing sanctions against the military regime in an effort to support the toppled democracy. Last November saw a landslide democratic, electoral victory…
- World News
Myanmar military commander pens letter to Thai PM
Myanmar military commander is opening a line of communication with Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha detailing why a coup was staged to seize power after a democratic election in the state. Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing explained why the Tatmadaw had to stage a coup and asked for help to support democracy. He alleged that fraud took place in the November 8…
- Thailand News
Myanmar nationals flee to Thailand to evade military conscription
In Thailand’s border province of Tak, young Myanmar nationals, now including women, attempt to evade compulsory military conscription. Soldiers from the Ratchamanu Taskforce, stationed in Tak’s Mae Sot district, made a startling discovery on Friday, apprehending 27 youths comprising 13 men and 14 women near a stream in Phop Phra district. These young individuals revealed they had embarked on their…
- Thailand News
Thai military chief disclaims use of Thailand arsenals in Myanmar
Thailand’s military chief denied that the Thai military arsenal was supplied to Myanmar rebel forces. In a bid to clarify the situation, General Jaroenchai Hintao firmly refutes allegations tying Thailand’s military to the arsenal fuelling rebel fighters across the Myanmar border. Insisting on the integrity of Thailand’s defence, General Jaroenchai outlines rigorous measures in place to safeguard against illicit weapon…
- Thailand News
Thai military to engage Myanmar over repatriation delay
The Thai military is set to engage Myanmar over the delay in the repatriation of 41 Thai nationals who were recently rescued from illegal businesses in Laukkaing township. This was revealed today by Colonel Natee Thomsen, the commander of the Thap Chao Tak Taskforce of the Pha Mueang Force. Col. Natee plans to discuss the reasons behind the repatriation delay…
- Thailand News
Thai nationals to return from Myanmar amidst military-insurgent clashes
The return of 41 Thai nationals, marooned amidst skirmishes between Myanmar military and ethnic insurgent factions in Laukkai, a border town between China and Myanmar, is set to happen today, as stated by the prime minister. These individuals are part of a larger group of 164 Thai nationals, who were rescued by Myanmar officials from illegal employment or human trafficking…
- World News
Thai special envoy to Myanmar warns not to ‘cancel’ Burmese military
Thailand’s new special envoy has spoken out as an apologist for the Myanmar military by urging the international community not to “get stuck in cancel rhetoric” when dealing with the Burmese Junta that seized power 16 months ago. She spoke in support of ‘moving on’ from the past and towards a different style of engagement with the military leaders. Pornpimol…
- World News
Myanmar: One year after the military coup and bloody crackdown
A year ago today, Myanmar’s military seized power of the government over what they say was a fraudulent election. The democratically elected State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi was ousted and detained, as well as other civilian leaders. The coup was met with backlash from the public, leading to a bloody crackdown by security forces that killed more than one…
- World News
NGO warns jewellers to check suppliers, says Myanmar’s gemstone mining funds the military
Myanmar’s multimillion-dollar gemstone industry has fallen into the hands of the state military which seized power in a coup on February 1. Human rights groups are now concerned that the luxury gemstone trade is funding the military’s bloody crackdown. All gemstone mining in Myanmar is technically illegal as all licenses issued by Myanmar’s toppled civilian government expired in 2020, a…
- World News
Japan’s Defense Academy condemned for hosting military training to Myanmar cadets
The Human Rights Watch is calling on the Japanese government to stop hosting cadets from the Myanmar military through the Defence Ministry’s study abroad programme. The calls follow the February 1 coup where Myanmar’s state military took over the civilian government and detained the democratically elected leaders. The National Defense Academy of Japan is reportedly hosting eight military cadets from…
- World News
Military eyes reopening Myanmar to tourists, shadow government says “stay away”
The State Administrative Council under the Myanmar military junta on Tuesday said it will reopen the country by next month, starting with border crossings with China and Thailand, ahead of a scheduled resumption of welcoming international tourists in the second quarter of 2022. It comes amid continued internal clashes between civilian and military troops in the aftermath of the military…
- World News
Thailand’s Foreign Affairs Minister visits Myanmar capital to meet military junta
Thailand’s Foreign Affairs Minister Don Pramudwinai, who also serves as deputy prime minister, met with the military junta’s Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin and later with the coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing yesterday afternoon, according to a report by local media outlet Myanmar Now. It is unknown what topics the two parties discussed during this confidential day-trip made…
- World News
COVID and military coup cripple Myanmar economy
Zaw Min (name changed) is a construction worker in his 30s from the Yangon suburb of Hlaing TharYar in Myanmar. He recounts how he sold his second-hand motorcycle for 150,000 kyat ($91, €77.5) in September out of financial desperation. Min was forced to find new ways to feed his family when he couldn’t find work in his profession amid Myanmar’s…
- World News
Myanmar’s economy to shrink by 18% due to military coup and Covid-19
The civil unrest following the February military coup, paired with the a spike in Covid-19 infections, is expected to cause Myanmar’s economy to contract by 18% this year, according to the World Bank. Since the military takeover, ousting the country’s elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi of the National League for Democracy, it’s estimated that more than 900 people have been killed…
- World News
Former pageant queen in Myanmar sides with ethnic armies opposing military coup
A former pageant queen Htar Htet Htet has been vocal about her opposition to the military takeover in her home country, Myanmar. But recently, she took her stance even farther by posting a photo of herself in a black combat outfit with an assault rifle, showing support for the ethnic armies fighting against the state military. The Myanmar military took…
- World News
Anti-coup Burmese protesters take up military training in jungles of Myanmar
Members of Myanmar’s Civil Disobedience Movement, including doctors and students, are taking up military training in the jungles, where they fled to escape a violent crackdown by the junta. Crawling on the ground towards their target of a small village isn’t just in preparation for a simulated clash-the training is to help protect them while they continue to resist the…
- Thailand News
Karen army takes over Burmese military base along Thai-Myanmar border
A military base in Myanmar near the Thai border was reportedly taken over by an ethnic army. Since the February 1 military coup in Myanmar, ousting the country’s democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, an estimated 750 protesters and civilians have been killed by security forces, leading to clashes with ethnic armies. Many ethnic armies support the anti-coup movement,…
- World News
Fears grow in Myanmar as military junta orders internet shutdown
Pro-democracy activists in Myanmar are desperately trying to find alternative communication channels as the country’s internet blackout worsens. On Thursday, the military ordered internet providers to cut off wireless broadband access, despite businesses in the country calling for a halt to the ongoing disruption to service. Internet provider Ooredoo texted customers to inform them that the Burmese military has issued…
- World News
Sorry, not sorry: Myanmar’s military says it’s sad about killings, but won’t stop crackdown
Myanmar’s military says it’s sad about those killed during the anti-coup protests, but is not stopping its crackdown. The military says it will continue to stamp out, what it says, is anarchy, despite international condemnation and sanctions. Over 260 people have been killed since the February 1 coup, with the UN saying that number includes women and children. But, junta…
- World News
Top Buddhist organisation in Myanmar stops activities to protest military violence
Myanmar’s top Buddhist organisation is condemning the use of violence by the military against protesters by stopping its regular activities in an apparent protest. The association, named The State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, accused an “armed minority” of torture and killing innocent civilians in an apparent break with authorities. According to Thai PBS World, Mahana members could not immediately be…
