Myanmar

  • World News

    Asia News Today | Asian stocks sink over Russian incursion, China ramps up microchip production

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has formally recognised two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent. He’s used this diplomatic word-play as a reason to order the Russian army to launch a so-called peacekeeping mission into the area. His actions are a significant ramping up of diplomatic tensions in the ongoing Russian/Ukraine crisis.The president has ordered his defence officials to deploy…

  • World News

    Four migrants in Songkhla discovered to have Covid-19, treated in hospital

    Police arrested 22 migrants from Myanmar in Songkhla last night, and four tested positive for Covid-19. They are now being treated at a hospital, while the rest of the migrants in the group await legal measures on charges of illegal entry, and pending deportation. District officials found the 22 men hiding in bushes, and reporters at the Bangkok Post said…

  • World News

    Songkhla man arrested on suspicions of trafficking Burmese migrants to Malaysia

    Following last month’s arrest of 31 Burmese migrants trying to cross through Songkhla province into Malaysia, police have now caught a man suspected of trafficking them. Yesterday, police in Sadao district arrested Saiyid Ratdaewa after finding him in a house he was renting. Police say they found that Saiyid was a job broker for migrants seeking jobs in Malaysia. Police…

  • Thailand video news

    Thailand News Update | Test & Go Improvements, Live Chat Function Added

    In the wake of lower-than-expected take up of the revised Test and Go program in the Thailand Pass, the Thai PM has made direct orders for quick improvements in the reliability of the digital systemApplicants have been complaining about delays, receiving spam and hacked emails. Now a new entry pathway called TPHS has now been approved and promises to cut…

  • World News

    Karen soldiers from Myanmar clash with Burmese army on Thai border

    Soldiers from the Karen National Union and People’s Defense Force attacked the Burmese army with mortar guns and grenade launchers in Palu village in Myanmar on the Thai-Burmese border yesterday. A reporter for Nation Thailand said the Burmese army fired back with their own mortar guns, and called for backup help from a helicopter dispatched to shoot at the enemy…

  • Thailand News

    3 men arrested after allegedly selling tiger, leopard skins to undercover police

    Three men were arrested yesterday after they were allegedly caught selling clouded leopard and tiger hides to an undercover officer. Along with three live leopard kittens, tiger and leopard hides valued at two million baht were seized by national park officers and police at a resort in Kanchanaburi, which borders Myanmar. Officers had received a tip that illegal wildlife traders…

  • World News

    Thai soldiers and police arrest 246 more Burmese migrants in Kanchanaburi

    Thai soldiers and police have arrested 246 Burmese migrants in 6 border areas across 4 districts of Kanchanaburi, a Western province, yesterday and today. The migrants say they paid job brokers between 15,000 and 25,000 baht to get them jobs in several Thai provinces. Thai authorities also caught 4 guides helping the migrants, and charged them with assisting illegal border…

  • Bangkok News

    Thailand-based natural gas company stalls move on Myanmar following coup

    Following the withdrawal of its French and US partners from a gas production project in Myanmar, Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production Plc is stalling its next move by saying that it will make an official announcement early next month on whether to keep ties with the military in Myanmar or not. US-based Chevron Corp and France-based Total Energies both announced…

  • World News

    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…

  • 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

    Cambodian PM says false claims of Australian’s release in Myanmar was a “mistake”

    Cambodian PM Hun Sen says his claims that the Myanmar military junta had released an Australian economist as per his request was an “unintentional mistake.” After authorities in Myanmar said the economic adviser, Sean Turnell, is still the Hun Sen admitted that he had been given the wrong information and had made a mistake. On his official Facebook page, the…

  • World News

    Australia calls for the “immediate release” of economist detained in Myanmar

    The foreign minister of Australia says officials are using every opportunity to advocate for the release of Australian professor and economist, Sean Turnell, who was detained in Myanmar last year following the February 1, 2021 military coup. Foreign Minister Marise Payne released a statement yesterday calling on the “immediate release” of Turnell, saying his detention “unjust.” Professor Turnell’s detention is unjust,…

  • World News

    US President Biden vows to work with Cambodia to promote US-ASEAN relations

    In order to improve ASEAN-US relations, President Joe Biden stated that his administration is looking forward to working with Cambodia as the ASEAN chair in promoting the bloc’s “regional architecture” for bilateral agreements and institutions at the core of the Indo-Pacific. Biden wrote a letter to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on January 14 saying that he intends to invite…

  • World News

    Thailand says Myanmar observers will not participate in Cobra Gold exercises

    Myanmar military observers will not participate in this year’s 41st Cobra Gold military exercise, which will take place from February 20 to March 5, according to Lt Gen Chitchanok Nujjaya, Director of Joint Operations. He said the decision was made by both Thailand and the US since there was not enough time to prepare for Myanmar’s participation. Although there were…

  • World News

    Myanmar sees rapid uptick of narcotics production, trafficking since coup

    Illicit drug production and trafficking in Myanmar has rapidly increased since the February 2021 military coup, when Tatmadaw (Burmese army) seized power and overthrew the civilian, elected government. A senior official from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime says, that over the past year, there has been a spike in narcotics production, particularly methamphetamine, in the country’s Shan State…

  • World News

    ASEAN called to reconsider its five-point consensus on solving the Myanmar crisis

    Political experts called on ASEAN to reconsider its dialogue with the Myanmar military junta and urged it to get more help from the international community today as some say the bloc’s five-point consensus on solving the Myanmar crisis is “not working.” During the webinar “Myanmar: Year Zero Plus One” by Asia News Network earlier this week, a retired Thai ambassador,…

  • 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

    Four people reportedly arrested during Laos’ second-largest illegal drugs bust last week

    Four people were arrested during the second-largest seizure of illegal drugs by Laos police in Huay Xai province north of Bokeo last week, with authorities reporting 36 million methamphetamine pills, a total weight of 590 kilograms, were found. The UN Office of Drugs and Crime regional representative, Jeremy Douglas, says… “Those four who were arrested were pretty low-level… there were…

  • World News

    Laos workers to return Thailand as borders reopen for migrants from neighbouring countries

    For the first time since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, Thailand will reopen its borders to migrant workers, especially from Laos, who are now granted permission to return to Thailand with the approval of their employers next week after a hiatus due to Covid-19. Reports say many people continue to cross the border illegally in search…

  • World News

    Surat Thani immigration police arrest human trafficking suspect from Myanmar

    A 46 year old Myanmar national was arrested by Surat Thani Immigration Police today for allegedly smuggling six others into Thailand. The suspect, who is identified as Bumaw, was reportedly seen on a road in Tambon Talad in Surat Thani province’s Mueang district, and Immigration Police arrested him at the spot, nearly four months after the Surat Thani Court issued…

  • World News

    Cambodia PM invites Myanmar junta to the Summit if progress made on peace plan

    Despite objections from his counterparts, Cambodia’s leader and incumbent chair of the 10 member bloc, PM Hun Sen, confirmed he had invited Myanmar’s junta chief Min Aung Hlaing to the next ASEAN summit if he makes progress on a peace plan he agreed to last year. Hun Sen reportedly spoke to the military head, Min Aung Hlaing, today via video…

  • Thailand News

    Monkey with ghost face and slug snake part of 224 new Mekong species

    A monkey with white circles around its eyes, making it look like a ghost, is one of 224 species newly added to a list of species in the Mekong region. Scientists discovered these species in 2020, but the report last year was delayed. The monkey is the only mammal on the list, and the rest are reptiles, frogs and newts,…

  • Thailand News

    More than 100 migrants caught in Kanchanaburi for alleged illegal entry

    Thai border patrols arrested 107 Burmese migrants for allegedly illegally crossing the border into the western province Kanchanaburi on Sunday. The migrants told Thai officials they came from Phayathonezu, Moulmein, Yangon, Bago and Dawei townships in Myanmar. They crossed into Thailand seeking jobs here. Authorities also arrested one Thai guide for providing assistance to people illegally entering the country. Authorities…

  • World News

    Myanmar junta approves Telenor sale to M1 and its associate firm

    Reuters reported that Lebanon’s M1 Group will join with a Myanmar firm to take over Norwegian telecom giant Telenor in the Southeast Asian country after the country’s military government sought a local bidder. Since the junta is putting pressure on telecom and internet companies to install monitoring technologies, one of Myanmar’s largest foreign investors, Telenor, said in July that it…

  • World News

    At least 3 killed, 7 injured as Myanmar’s army raid displaced camps in Kayah State

    At least three refugees were killed and seven others were injured during the Myanmar army’s raids on refugee camps in eastern Kayah State, where innocent civilians were forced to leave their houses as fighting escalated between the Tatmadaw (army) and armed opposition groups. According to a source from the local Catholic Church in Myanmar who spoke to the Vatican News,…

  • South Thailand News

    Burmese migrants trafficked through Thailand caught by Malaysian border

    Last night, Thai soldiers caught 31 Burmese migrants on the Thailand-Malaysia border, illegally passing through Thailand and hoping to work in Malaysia. The migrants were found hiding in a ditch on a rubber plantation in Sadao, a district of Songkhla province. The group 25 men and six women had reportedly travelled from Myanmar’s Myawaddy township. After they crossed into Tak…

  • World News

    UN envoy urges PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to help stop Myanmar crisis

    As the Thai government promised to protect Myanmar refugees who fled into Thailand, a UN ambassador has urged PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to help prevent the worsening crisis in Myanmar, following the in-person meeting at the Government House in Bangkok this week. The UN Secretary-Special General’s Envoy on Myanmar, Noeleen Heyzer, has visited Thailand after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations…

  • Thailand News

    More Burmese migrants detained along Thailand’s western border

    Police arrested 63 Burmese migrants seeking jobs in Thailand for allegedly crossing the borders into Thong Pha Phum, Sai Yok and Sangkhla Buri districts illegally yesterday. Two Thai men were also arrested for allegedly attempting to help smuggle the migrants across the border. One of them was reportedly caught driving 18 migrants in a pickup truck. The police found 12…

  • World News

    Monks were amongst those who fled to safety in eastern Myanmar conflicts

    Hundreds of monks were among the thousands of people who fled2 major towns in Mynamar’s Kayah (Karenni) State last week as fighting has intensified in the southern region between the military and local militia groups, known as the People’s Defense Forces which oppose the regime, The UN estimates that over 90,000 individuals have fled Loikaw city in the region where…

  • World News

    Aung San Suu Kyi is “indispensable” for Myanmar peace talk, says Philippines FM

    The Philippines, amongst other neutral ASEAN members, made a strong statement on solving the Myanmar crisis yesterday as its foreign minister urged the 10 member bloc to invite the deposed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to any peace talks, citing she’s the key figure in restoring democracy to the turmoiled Southeast Asian nation, regardless of her conviction. The Philippines Foreign…

  • Thailand News

    More than 100 Burmese job seekers detained for allegedly entering Thailand illegally

    Amidst thousands of refugees legally fleeing into Thailand’s soil due to fighting escalating near the Thai border, job seekers from Myanmar are also trying to cross the border by natural passageways, evading immigration checkpoints and mandatory quarantine. Reports say many have been paying fees of nearly 22,000 baht (US$ 666) to brokers to cross over to Thailand. On Thursday alone,…

  • World News

    More than 349,000 people displaced due to violence in Myanmar since February coup

    Official figures from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs this month show that about 349,800 individuals were displaced in the southeast and northwest of the country and needed humanitarian aid since the February 2021 military coup. Fights have intensified between Myanmar’s military and the People’s Defence Forces, locally known as PDFs. Thousands have reportedly fled to…

  • World News

    UN’s special envoy urges ASEAN to work toward “inclusive dialogue” with Myanmar

    Days after Cambodia’s PM Hun Sen visited Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw to see the military junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, a United Nations Special Envoy encouraged the rest of Southeast Asian countries to support international efforts to engage all sides in the situation inside tumultuous Myanmar. In a statement released today by the UN, its secretary-special general’s envoy on Myanmar, Noeleen…

  • World News

    Myanmar’s Suu Kyi slapped with jail terms

    Myanmar’s deposed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been sentenced to four years in jail for three charges brought by a Naypyidaw court under the military junta this afternoon, according to reports. The court ruled that 76 year old Suu Kyi, who was detained since the military took power in early February 2021, was found guilty of two offences linked…

  • World News

    1-year ceasefire declared in Myanmar by junta leader

    After nearly a year of deadly conflict between the Burmese military junta that overthrew the government and citizen protesters and rebel insurgent groups, Burmese junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing has declared a ceasefire in Myanmar after meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. The Prime Minister met with the junta leader on Friday after months of the Association of…

  • World News

    Cambodia’s PM arrives in Myanmar to meet with junta despite strong opposition

    Despite the strong opposition to his visit to Myanmar, Cambodia’s PM Hun Sen arrived in the capital of Naypyidaw to meet with the military junta and leader Min Aung Hlaing. On the same morning, several bombs exploded in major cities like Yangon and Mandalay, according to local media outlet Khit Thit. Last night, many netizens from Myanmar stormed Hun Sen’s…

  • World News

    At least 20 civilians killed and 40 houses razed in latest army attack in Myanmar

    In an alleged attack by Myanmar’s military forces in late-December, at least 20 civilians were slain and nearly 40 houses were razed in the country’s northeastern region of Sagaing, according to local media. Sagaing is where one of the first armed rebellions rose up following the junta’s bloody crackdown on anti-coup protesters. Last month, the military tookover Natchaung village in…