Myanmar
- Myanmar
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,…
- Myanmar
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…
- Myanmar
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…
- Myanmar
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…
- Business
Businesses call on government to accelerate return of migrant workers
Businesses in Thailand are urging the government to speed up the process that will allow for the legal return of migrant workers from neighbouring countries. The Labour Ministry recently confirmed its intention to sign MoUs with Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos that would permit workers from those countries to enter Thailand from December. However, according to a Bangkok Post report, Thailand’s…
- Coronavirus Vaccines
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…
- Myanmar
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…
- Southeast Asia
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…
- Myanmar
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…
- Thailand
Illegal border crossing on the rise along with tourism reopening
While Thailand is eager to see foreigners entering the country after Monday’s reopening, not all foreigners are as welcome as others. A crackdown on migrants crossing land borders illegally and entering the country without quarantine caught more than 3,000 people in this past week. A spokesperson for the Internal Security Operations Command correlated Thailand’s reopening to international tourism with the…
- 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…
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)
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…
- ASEAN
Myanmar no-show a focus as ASEAN summit gets underway
The exclusion of Myanmar military leader Min Aung Hlaing from the ASEAN summit is looming over the annual regional meeting, with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha pointing to international focus on ASEAN’s response to the situation. As reported by Reuters, Prayut noted that the role of the regional association in addressing the matter is of “paramount importance”, with action taken to “have…
- Crime
Myanmar’s junta government releases prisoners, cancels arrest warrants
In the wake of ASEAN recently announcing it would exclude Myanmar’s representatives from future summits, Myanmar’s junta government made the move to release prisoners. The government is also cancelling arrest warrants for thousands of its people after making the announcement yesterday. The statement said that 1,316 people in detention will be released and that 4,320 cases will be dropped. Citing…
- Southeast Asia
ASEAN snub of Myanmar junta praised by opposition government
Myanmar’s opposition government has commended the ASEAN announcement that they will not invite the junta leader to the regional summit. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations said that any envoy from Myanmar should be a legitimate representative. They have opted instead to invite a non-political representative from Myanmar, in what appears to be a clear snub of the country’s military…
- Myanmar
Burmese junta leader not invited to ASEAN summit
After many members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations expressed frustration at the Burmese junta seeming to brush off the actions agreed upon at a summit in April, the group is showing its ire by not inviting Burmese junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing to this month’s ASEAN summit. After an emergency meeting Friday, the decision was announced by…
- Kanchanaburi
2 Thai women arrested transporting 7 Burmese migrants
At a checkpoint in Sangkhla Buri district in Kanchanaburi, 2 Thai women were arrested smuggling 7 Burmese migrants and a child, apparently attempting to transport them back to Myanmar. The stop took place at around 7 am this morning and the women were arrested in violation of provincial communicable disease committee orders to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Officials at…
- Thailand News Today (weekday evenings)
Thailand News Today | November 1 Thai tourism restarts, Samui removes quarantine, digital hub | Oct 12
November 1 is the D-day for fully vaccinated tourists from at least 10 “low-risk” countries to be able to travel to Thailand without quarantine. And Thailand’s digital hub is about to get some more government thrown at it. A plan to impose a 500 baht “tourism tax” on foreign arrivals from next year has divided opinion among tourism operators. Tourism officials…
- Thailand
Families call on Thai authorities to help teenagers stuck in Myanmar under work contract
A group of parents and grandparents say their teenage children were trafficked to work in Myanmar and are now calling on Thai authorities to bring them back home. The families in Tak’s Mae Sot border district say 10 teenagers, between the ages of 16 and 19, were promised jobs at a casino just across the border in the neighbouring country,…
- Thailand News Update (weekday mornings)
Thailand Top Stories | Bangkok nightclub raided, Cambodia dogs sniff Covid | October 11
Thailand Top Stories | Bangkok nightclub raided, Cambodia dogs sniff Covid | October 11 | Caitlin gives us a quick update on the national Covid-19 situation as well as the top headlines in Thailand and Southeast Asia: Bangkok nightclub raided for a second time, Bangkok and 4 areas to reopen on November 1, Domestic flights to operate at full…
- Myanmar
Burmese UN envoy calls for international support for democracy in Myanmar
The Burmese UN envoy says he’s intent on seeking international support for democracy in his country. Kyaw Moe Tun was speaking to Japanese news agency NHK at the UN offices in New York. He was made UN envoy by the former Burmese government, which was ousted in a military coup in February, despite having been democratically elected. According to a…
- Thailand News Update (weekday mornings)
Phuket Vegetarian Festival kicks off, ASEAN talks on barring Myanmar from summit | Thailand Top Stories | October 7
Phuket Vegetarian Festival kicks off, ASEAN talks on barring Myanmar from summit | Thailand Top Stories | October 7 | Caitlin gives us a quick update on the national Covid-19 situation as well as the top headlines in Thailand and Southeast Asia: 45th anniversary of the 1976 massacre at Thammasat University, Phuket Vegetarian Festival kicks off, ASEAN discusses barring Myanmar…
