Myanmar
- World News
Myanmar to collaborate with China to produce Covid-19 vaccines
The Myanmar military junta and coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing says he is working with China to produce a Covid-19 vaccine domestically in January with a goal of manufacturing five million units per month, according to state media television. Although the Omicron virus has not yet been detected in the country, he claimed to be taking further steps…
- World News
Cambodia to appoint foreign minister as next ASEAN’s special envoy to Myanmar
Following Cambodia’s chairmanship of ASEAN for the year 2022, the country’s foreign minister, Prak Sokhonn, will be appointed as the bloc’s new special envoy to Myanmar, Prime Minister Hun Sen told the press during a speech at the inauguration of a luxury hotel in Phnom Penh today. Sokhonn will succeed Brunei’s Second Foreign Minister, Erywan Yusof, as the current ASEAN…
- Thailand News
57 migrants arrested in Kanchanaburi for allegedly crossing the border illegally
Thai authorities have arrested 57 Burmese nationals for allegedly entering Thailand illegally. The migrants were found in forest the border Kanchanaburi, which borders Myanmar, at around 11pm Saturday. Troops from Ranger Company 1404 and police from Border Patrol Company 136 found the 30 men and 27 women who reportedly sneaked into Sai Yok area through a natural border crossing while…
- 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
Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen to visit Myanmar next month
Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen has accepted an invitation to visit Myanmar military coup leader Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyidaw on January 7 and 8, following the discussion between two countries’ foreign ministers at a meeting in Phnom Penh today, according to the Khmer Times. Hun Sen is appointed to take ASEAN chairmanship from 2022. Deputy Prime Minister Park Sokhonn,…
- World News
Myanmar ousted leader’s prison sentence reduced to two years
Myanmar’s ousted State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to four years in prison yesterday, but it was then reduced to two years following a partial pardon by the military junta’s commander, according to state television. Her indictments were unrest and violating Covid-19 epidemic guidelines, according to the junta’s ruling court, which ordered the first judicial decision in a…
- Thailand News
Thailand deploys “King Cobra” unit at Myanmar border to monitor illegal crossings
The lifting of restrictions on Covid-19 in Thailand, which culminated with its reopening on November 1, sparked a surge in demand for foreign labor, making it very difficult to control the illegal border crossings. To deal with it, Thailand’s “King Cobra” special unit team under the Surasee Taskforce is now actively searching for unauthorised migrants along its western border with…
- World News
Rohingya accuse Facebook of promoting hate speech in US$150 billion lawsuit
Facebook is being sued in a California court by Rohingya refugees, who accuse the social media platform of failing to combat hate speech. In a US$150 billion lawsuit, court documents allege Facebook is powered by algorithms that allow the seeds of disinformation and extremism to grow and cross over into real-life violence. “Facebook is like a robot programmed with a…
- World News
Myanmar junta criticises UN’s decision for denying its envoy
Myanmar military junta has criticised the decision by the United Nations today for denying its representative a seat at the world body and not kicking out an envoy appointed by Aung San Suu Kyi’s deposed government from his position. According to diplomats, the committee in charge of accepting ambassadorial nominations to the United Nations convened yesterday, but deferred a decision…
- World News
Myanmar junta likely to be temporarily barred from the UN, along with Taliban
The Myanmar military junta and the Taliban in Afghanistan are likely to be temporarily barred from representing their nations at the 193-member United Nations credentials committee, which includes Russia, China, and the United States. The committee will meet at UN headquarters to assess the credentials of all 193 members of the UN General Assembly for the current session, and Reuters…
- Thailand video news
Thailand Top Stories | PCR testing to stay, more restrictions? Lifeguards off duty | Dec 1
Thailand WILL continue using the PCR method to screen arrivals for Covid-19 as a preventative measure to keep Omicron out. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will make a decision about whether Thailand will be forced back into any further restrictions. The annual funding game is on in Phuket for the island’s lifeguards… again. A new visa scheme approved, in principle, by the…
- World News
Verdicts in Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi trial postponed until Monday
According to a source acquainted with the proceedings in Myanmar, the first verdicts in the trial of former State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi were adjourned to Monday by a court under the military junta. The court was set to rule on allegations of incitement and violations of Covid-19 guidelines under a natural disaster law today, one of nearly a…
- World News
Foreign Minister says visit to Myanmar was to oversee humanitarian aid delivery
The Foreign Minister has responded to questions about his visit to Myanmar by saying he was overseeing the delivery of humanitarian aid. Don Pramudwinai’s November 14 trip has been criticised by some as potentially legitimising the military leaders who overthrew the country’s democratically-elected government in February. Addressing the House of Representatives yesterday, Don said he went to the country purely…
- 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…
- Thailand News
60 more Burmese nationals arrested for illegal crossing of Thai border
A total of 60 Burmese nationals in three groups were detained yesterday after they reportedly crossed the Thailand border illegally through Muang and Sangkhla Buri districts, according to the police. In the morning, nine men and four women from Myanmar’s Dawei, Magway, Yangon, and Bago provinces, were arrested near Moo 15 village in tambon Ban Kao, who claimed to pay …
- World News
Myanmar’s shadow government raises US$6.3 million for “revolution”
In a campaign for a “revolution” against Myanmar’s military following the February 1 coup and bloody crackdown, the country’s shadow government began issuing special “treasury bonds” and say they raised more than US$6.3 million on the first day. The National Unity Government, or NUG, is a coalition of pro-democracy organisations, ethnic minority militaries, and remnants of the country’s deposed civilian…
- World News
Sea gypsies hope better livelihood ahead upcoming local elections
Local elections are coming up and it will be the first time many of Thailand’s Moken tribes, or also known as sea gypsies, will be voting in the Tambon Administration Organisation elections. The indigenous Moken tribes are known for their lifestyle of semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers for centuries in the Andaman Sea. They are known to be able to hold their breath…
- World News
China’s lobbying for Myanmar junta to join Xi Summit met with opposition
China’s Special Envoy of Asian Affairs Sun Guoxiang has pressed Southeast Asian governments to allow Myanmar’s military ruler to attend a regional meeting hosted by China’s President next week, but has faced heavy opposition, diplomatic sources told Reuters reporters. He visited Singapore and Brunei last week, but was told that Myanmar military junta chief Ming Aung Hlaing would be unable…
- Crime News
11 inmates climb through hole in ceiling, escape from prison cell in Nakhon Sawan
Nearly a dozen inmates climbed through a hole in a holding cell and escape from the Khlong Pho Temporary Prison in the central province Nakhon Sawan where they were held as a isolation period before being sent to Nakhon Sawan Central Prison. Officers say the inmates have been found. Police Major-General Raphiphong Sukphaiboon from Nakhon Sawan police station said the…
- World News
Thai Foreign Minister reportedly admits to meeting with Myanmar’s military junta
Following reports in Burmese media that Thailand’s Foreign Affairs Minister visited Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw last weekend to meet with the military junta and coup leader, the minister has reportedly revealed details about his trip, saying he discussed humanitarian aid for the country’s citizens. Foreign Affairs Minister, Don Pramudwinai, who also serves as Deputy PM, reportedly admitted to meeting with coup…
- World News
Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi and ousted president to face another charge
Sixteen people, including Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and ousted President Win Myint, are set to face another charge of election fraud, the Union Election Commission under the military junta said on Monday. According to local media, Irrawaddy News, the former Chairman of the Union Election Commission and members Myint Naing and Than Htay, Cabinet Minister Min Thu,…
- World News
US journalist Danny Fenster released from Myanmar prison
Danny Fenster, American journalist who had been detained in Myanmar’s notorious Insein Prison for more than five months, was released and deported on Monday afternoon, according to his employer at Frontier Myanmar. The report was also confirmed by the US ex-diplomat Richardson, who recently visited Myanmar and talked with junta leader Gen. Min Aung Hlaing. He told Associated Press that Fenster “would…
- 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
Burmese junta hands down 11-year sentence for US journalist Fenster
US journalist Danny Fenster, the managing editor of Frontier Myanmar who was arrested while attempting to leave the embattled country in May has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. The military court found the 37 year old guilty of incitement and unlawful associations as well as immigration violations. While the court backed down so far on charges of terrorism…
- Covid-19 News
Half a million vaccine doses set aside for return of migrant workers
The Thai government has set aside up to half a million Covid-19 vaccine doses as it prepares for the return of much-needed migrant workers. The move comes following confirmation from Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin that Thailand will sign MoUs with neighbouring countries to allow workers to enter through legal channels. Officials have vowed to crack down on people smugglers and…
- World News
US journalist Fenster faces charges of terrorism and sedition
Danny Fenster, the American journalist that was taken into custody as he attempted to leave Myanmar in May, has had additional charges of terrorism and sedition levied against him today. He is now facing a maximum sentence of life in prison for those charges, a grave turn from the original 6 years he was facing for the accusation of promoting…
- World News
The UN says more than 3 million people in Myanmar need life-saving aid
The UN is urging Myanmar’s military leaders to allow unimpeded access to more than 3 million people who need life-saving aid. Martin Griffiths, the UN humanitarian chief, says since the February 1 coup, the numbers of those at-risk of losing their lives will only rise. The ongoing violence has not showed signs of slowing, and Griffiths says if a peaceful…
- World News
Thai Red Cross urges government to formalise humanitarian assistance to Myanmar
Thailand’s Red Cross organisation is calling on the government to formalise humanitarian aid to Myanmar refugees. The request was made at the 3rd Thai foreign policy webinar series on “ASEAN’s Future and Crisis in Myanmar.” The Surin Pitsuwan Foundation, Chiang Mai University’s School of Public Policy, Thai PBS and Asia News Network, all jointly hosted the webinar. Former editor of…
- World News
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…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand renews crackdown on illegal migrants ahead of re-opening
Thailand is cracking down on illegal migrants and those who smuggle them into the country, as authorities try to prevent imported Covid-19 infections. The Defence Ministry says over 30,000 illegal migrants have been intercepted and deported since the beginning of the year. According to a Bangkok Post report, the number arrested continues to rise as the country prepares to re-open…
