Burmese military
- Southeast Asia
Japanese documentary producer arrested in Myanmar
A Japanese documentary producer was imprisoned with two protesters after joining an anti-government protest in Yangon last Tuesday. The media reported that Toru Kubota, a 26 year old male photographer and documentary filmmaker, was arrested at a protest in the South Dagon Township in the southeastern area of Yangon on July 30. The report said he was arrested while gathering…
- Myanmar
Burmese military expanding surveillance and facial recognition
In what they claim to be a bid to keep cities safe and secure and preserve civil peace, the military junta controlling Myanmar is installing facial recognition cameras made in China in cities all across the turbulent country. This surveillance began after the military coup in February 2021, and at least 5 cities are already under their watchful eye. This…
- Myanmar
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…
- Myanmar
Ousted Burmese leader Suu Kyi appears in court on corruption charge
Aung San Suu Kyi, the democratically-elected former leader of Myanmar who was ousted in a military coup last year, has appeared in court on a corruption charge. The case is one of multiple cases being brought against her, with the threat of lengthy prison time if she’s found guilty. According to comments made to Reuters by an unnamed source close…
- Myanmar
Smuggled sketches show horrific conditions inside notorious Insein Prison in Myanmar
Radio Free Asia have released a series of sketches penned by inmates of a Burmese prison in Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar, and smuggled out of the prison by brave, released detainees. Thousands of mostly political prisoners have been sent there since last year’s coup. The following from Radio Free Asia… “Sketches smuggled out of Myanmar’s notorious Insein Prison…
- Video
Murder weapons found at the beach | Thailand News Update
On the day we were hoping to report some easing of restrictions, instead we may be staring at postponements, or even some more precautions added as Thailand struggles to move on from two years of any meaningful tourism recovery. At a meeting of the CCSA yesterday recent spikes in new infections, and the surges in Bangkok and Phuket, were discussed.A…
- Myanmar
Burma or Myanmar? Myanmarese or Burmese?
We refer to Myanmar a lot in our news because it’s a bordering foreign country to Thailand and many people from Myanmar work in and around Thailand. It’s also subject of an ongoing coup after the Burmese military staged a coup on February 1, 2021. But is it Myanmar or Burma? And are the people that live there Myanmarese or…
- Myanmar
Burmese military reportedly killed and burned at least 30 refugees
Reports are emerging in Myanmar of at least 30 people – including women and children – in Kayah state were killed and burned, allegedly at the hands of the Burmese military junta. Members of the Karenni Human Rights Group stumbled upon the morbid discovery near Mo So Village in Hpruso Town, about 70 kilometres from Thailand’s made Hong Son province…
- Protests
Burmese soldiers drive car into protesters killing 5, injuring dozens
Burmese security forces drove a car into anti-coup protests in Yangon on Sunday morning killing 5 protesters and injuring dozens of others, according to witnesses. The military forces arrested at least 15 protesters in the morning protests, and afternoon protests were carried out despite the carnage and arrests. Videos and photos that show the car ploughing into the crowd of…
- Myanmar
Burmese junta adds third charge for American journalist Fenster
The managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, American journalist Danny Fenster, has been held for months by the Burmese junta and has now been charged with a third criminal offence. He had originally been arrested in May when attempting to leave the country. After being held for nearly 6 months, Fenster is still on trial, accused of promoting dissent against the…
- Myanmar
US judge orders Facebook to disclose anti-Rohingya content as part of international case against Myanmar
A court in the US has ruled that Facebook must disclose posts it removed from its network on the grounds that they were inciting violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. The move comes as a number of countries take action against Myanmar in the International Court of Justice. The Bangkok Post reports that Judge Zia Faruqui has criticised Facebook for…
- Myanmar
NUG announces defensive war to battle Myanmar coup forces
In Myanmar, the National Unity Government made up of deposed former leaders announced a defensive war in the name of the Burmese people, but other countries are urging peace to allow humanitarian efforts to continue. The NUG formed a shadow government to represent the people of Myanmar in the wake of the February military junta that took over claiming election…
- Myanmar
Rumours of meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi as Burmese military accept ASEAN envoy
The ruling military junta in Myanmar has issued a statement accepting the appointment of Erywan Yusof as ASEAN Special Envoy. Yusof will also oversee the association’s humanitarian programmes in the country, although it’s understood the military regime has refused to allow aid workers to deliver assistance to the worst-affected areas. Thai PBS World reports that Singapore has confirmed a contribution…
- Myanmar
Myanmar envoy updated to Brunei’s 2nd Foreign Affairs Minister
In a reversal of previous discussion and decisions that would have seen former Thai Deputy Foreign Minister Virasakdi Futrakul appointed as the ASEAN envoy to Myanmar, multiple sources are now reporting that it will be Brunei’s Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Erywan Yusof that will be taking up the envoy role. The agreement to send an envoy to Myanmar to…
- Myanmar
Russian arms trader working closely supplying Burmese military
The head of a Russian state arms trader was attributed as saying that Russia is working closely with the Burmese military junta to supply military equipment. According to the Interfax news agency, the head of Rosoboronexport, the arms trader in question, spoke of the partnership between the military coup that overthrew the government in Myanmar on February 1 and the…
- Politics
Burmese junta election commission claims 11 million fraud cases
After the election in Myanmar last November, the military was unhappy with the results, claimed mass fraud, and overthrew the government, seizing power in a coup in February. Independent observers and analysts have yet to find any probable voter fraud in the election. But perhaps they weren’t looking in the right place because the military junta’s election commission just turned…
- Myanmar
Trial of deposed Burmese leader Suu Kyi to overrun as prosecution need more time
The trial of former Burmese leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is set to overrun as the prosecution says it needs more time. There are still around 23 witnesses waiting to be called by the prosecution and Suu Kyi’s lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, has confirmed the trial will go on longer than anticipated. Suu Kyi is currently under house arrest and…
- Myanmar
Burmese military media outlets say ethnic army killed 25 workers
Amid clashes with rebel fighters and ethnic troops backing the anti-coup movement in Myanmar, media outlets run by the Burmese junta says an ethnic army killed 25 construction workers after abducting 47 people last month. Photos of what appeared to be 25 dead bodies in a forest where published and broadcasted by the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper, which is…
- Myanmar
UN report: Myanmar could face mass starvation and death
A new United Nations report predicts the imminent threat of mass starvation and death in Myanmar due to the civil unrest after the military coup that has upended the country since February. The UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar issued the grave warning as the countries infrastructure collapses in the ongoing chaos of protestors and insurgents clashing with…
- Myanmar
Burmese coup causes food prices to rise, income fall
As clashes between the military who took over the country in a coup Feb 1 and protestors in cities and insurgents in the countryside rage on, prices on necessities like food spike and many are going hungry in Myanmar. People who could once afford healthy, balanced meals of pork and vegetables and rice are now scraping by simple cheap foods…
- Myanmar
Burmese junta hit with additional US sanctions
The US has confirmed additional sanctions against Myanmar in response to the February 1 military coup that ousted the democratically-elected civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi. CNN reports that the latest round of sanctions, which have been introduced in coordination with the UK and Canada, are aimed at the State Administrative Council, or military junta. In particular, they target…
- Protests
Burmese military declares martial law in border city after attack
After blaming attacks on a bank and a police station on armed terrorist the Burmese military Junta has declared martial law in the town of Mindat in Chin State. Ethnic rebels have been increasingly battling the military in these border regions – the Chin State borders India – and about 100 people were reported over the last 2 days to…