Myanmar
- 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
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
Cambodian PM will not be allowed to meet Myanmar’s ousted leader, junta says
Cambodia’s PM Hun Sen is barred from meeting the former State Counsellor and ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi by the Myanmar military junta when he visits the country this weekend, according to a military spokesperson today. As the spokesperson for General Zaw Min Tun, from the military information team, says that only representatives from the political parties will have…
- Thailand News
Myanmar military and ethnic army clashes continue, bullets land on Thai soil
Bullets from the ongoing clashes between the Myanmar military and the armed wing of the Karen National Union have reportedly landed on Thai soil. A fight between the state military and the ethnic troops broke again at around 10am yesterday morning. Thai media reports that two Karen soldiers and several state military soldiers died. Three people who were injured by…
- World News
More than 5,000 refugees cross to Thai border as fighting intestifies in Myanmar
At least one civilian was killed and six others were injured in six airstrikes by the military junta that started on December 20 in the territory controlled by the Karen National Union’s 6th Brigade, forcing more than 5,000 people to flee their villages in Laykaykaw township. As fighting intensified between the Myanmar military and Karan National Union over the past…
- Thailand News
Evacuation drills run for students in Thailand’s border region as violence in Myanmar escalates
With clashes just across the border between the Myanmar state military and the ethnic army troops so close that bullets are landing on Thai soil, students in Mae Hong Son are being trained on how to escape if the gunfire reaches the school grounds. Soldiers and teachers ran drills over the weekend for students at the Baan Ta Fang school.…
- World News
UN urges authorities in Myanmar to investigate Christmas Eve massacre
A high-ranking United Nations official is urging authorities in Myanmar to investigate the massacre in Kayah State, where local sources report that the Myanmar military killed at least 35 civilians, including at least one child, on Christmas Eve. Two staff from the non-profit organisation Save the Children also went missing in the attack by the Myanmar military soldiers, according to…
- World News
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…
- World News
Myanmar ethnic army requests “no-fly zone” near Thai border
Following the airstrikes on Myanmar’s oldest ethnic army controlled area that forced thousands of refugees to flee to neighbouring Thailand last week, the Karen National Union urged the UN Security Council to recognise a no-fly zone in its territory. As fighting between the state military and the Karen’s armed wing has escalated, Thailand took in about 3,400 migrants last week,…
- World News
Jade mine landslide in Myanmar kills at least two, dozens missing and feared dead
A landslide at a Myanmar jade mine killed at least two people. Dozens of miners are still missing, feared dead as rescuers say they don’t expect to uncover any survivors who buried under rubble and debris the mine’s lake in Northern Hpakant, which borders China. About 200 rescuers, including firefighters and local volunteers, joined the hunt for missing miners, some…
- World News
Thai PM instructs officials to provide aid to around 4,000 Burmese refugees
The Thai PM has ordered local officials in the western province of Tak to provide aid to thousands of refugees who have fled Myanmar. According to a Thai PBS World report, some 4,000 people have been forced to flee fighting in the neighbouring country and are in need of temporary shelter and humanitarian aid. The UN’s refugee agency has already…
- 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
UNHCR weighs Thailand to accept 3,000 Myanmar refugees
More than 3,000 Myanmar refugees in Thailand’s border province Tak, are seeking shelter inside the kingdom after they left their houses to flee the ongoing violence between Myanmar’s military and the armed wing of the Karen National Union. Now the UN’s refugee agency is calling on Thailand to give them “urgent access” to the refugees. Hundreds fled the Karen state…
- World News
Myanmar deposed leader faces another postponement of her verdict
Pressures from the West and human rights groups may impede Myanmar generals’ decision to seek longer jail terms for deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi as the court under the military junta has postponed her another verdict for illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies today. Despite her lawyers being barred from speaking to the media and journalists barred from attending her…
- Northern Thailand News
Security forces sent to Burmese refugee camp in Tak following riot
A riot broke out at a camp for Burmese refugees Tuesday night and security reinforcements were sent to Mae La refugee camp in Tambon Mae La, where officials have yet to get access to roughly 40,000 Myanmar nationals, to avert another possible furore. Rangers, border patrol officers, local officials, and territorial defence volunteers are stationed at the camp where refugees…
- World News
Fights between Myanmar junta and ethnic armies intensify, 700 refugees flee to Thailand
Possibly around 700 refugees from Myanmar fled to Thailand’s Tak province to escape violence following clashes between the state military and the prominent ethnic armed wing of the Karen National Union in the town Lay Kay Kaw near the Thai border. A government official who spoke to AFP reporters said Thai officials have provided food and shelter to the 700…
- 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…
- 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
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…
- 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
Cambodian PM plans a visit to Myanmar to smooth divisions in ASEAN
The PM of Cambodia has announced plans to visit Myanmar to help smooth divisions in ASEAN. PM Hun Sen says he will talk with military rulers, recently commenting that Myanmar was a “family member of ASEAN” and that it was time to strengthen the grouping. Myanmar is part of the 10-country ASEAN alliance, but has created waves after the military…
