Aung San Suu Kyi

Ethnic armed group 'captures' Myanmar town, controls border with Bangladesh

One of the most powerful ethnic minority armed groups battling Myanmar's army has claimed the capture of the last army outpost in the strategic western town of Maungdaw, gaining full control of the 271-kilometer (168-mile) -long border with Bangladesh. The capture by the Arakan Army makes the group's control of the northern part of Rakhine state complete, and marks another advance in its bid for self-rule there. Rakhine has become a focal point for Myanmar's nationwide civil war, in which pro-democracy guerrillas and ethnic minority armed forces seeking autonomy battle the country's military rulers, who took power in 2021 after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Khaing Thukha, a spokesperson for the Arakan Army, told The Associated Press by text message from an undisclosed location late Monday that his group had seized the last remaining military outpost in Maungdaw on Sunday. Outpost commander Brig. Gen. Thurein Tun, was captured while attempting to flee t

Myanmar airstrikes indiscriminately target civilians, say rights group

Myanmar's military has consistently targeted civilians and their communities as a form of collective punishment in the country's southeast since the army seized power in early 2021, a rights group said in a report released Friday. Documented airstrikes on villages examined by researchers from the Karen Human Rights Group based in Myanmar's southeast, are emblematic of a broader assault on civilians across the war-torn nation, said James Rodehaver, the Bangkok-based chief of the Myanmar team of the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. He spoke Friday in an online panel discussion accompanying the release of the new report. Military officials were not immediately available for comment on the report, but in the past has said it attacks only legitimate targets of war, accusing the resistance forces of being terrorists. Myanmar is racked by violence that began when the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and brutally suppressed ...

Ethnic guerrilla groups agreed to an immediate cease-fire: Myanmar army

Myanmar's military has reached a cease-fire agreement with an alliance of ethnic minority guerrilla groups it has been battling in the country's northeast, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday. Myanmar's military government confirmed the development, as did the ethnic alliance. The agreement was brokered at talks mediated by China on Wednesday and Thursday in Kunming, a Chinese provincial capital about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the border with Myanmar, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. China hopes the relevant parties in Myanmar can conscientiously implement the agreement, exercise maximum restraint toward each other and solve the issues through dialogue and consultations, she said at a daily briefing in Beijing. Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, the spokesperson of Myanmar's ruling military council, said in an audio note to journalists that the two sides had met in Kunming and after talks, agreed on a temporary cease-fire agreement. "We will continue discussions We w

Myanmar ethnic group seizes another crossing point along Chinese border

An ethnic armed group in northeastern Myanmar has seized a major crossing point for trade along the Chinese border, residents and media reports said. The border gate in Laukkaing township, the capital of the Kokang Self-Administered Zone in the northern part of Shan state, became the fifth crossing seized by the group since it launched a coordinated offensive on October 27 with two other ethnic armed groups. The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, which took control of the crossing, joined with the Ta'ang National Liberation Army and the Arakan Army for the offensive that began in October and call themselves the Three Brotherhood Alliance. Laukkaing is known for hosting major organized criminal enterprises including cyberscam operations controlled by Chinese investors in cooperation with local Myanmar warlords. The Chinese government in recent weeks has initiated a crackdown on these operations, and thousands of people involved have been repatriated to China. Many of those w

Foreign nationals, aid workers moved to safety from Myanmar fighting

An alliance of ethnic minority insurgents allied with a pro-democracy parallel civilian government launched an offensive late last month against the ruling military

Dozens of junta forces surrender: Myanmar rebels as offensive gathers pace

At least 28 policemen gave up their weapons and surrendered to the Arakan Army (AA), while 10 soldiers were arrested, said the group which is fighting for autonomy in Rakhine State in western Myanmar

UN Security Council, minus China, Russia condemns Myanmar military actions

Members of the U.N. Security Council minus China and Russia condemned the unrelenting violence and killing of civilians in Myanmar and again urged its military rulers to stop attacks, release ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and respect human rights. Thirteen of the 15 council members on Wednesday backed a joint statement that said there had been insufficient progress on implementing the first-ever Security Council resolution on Myanmar that was adopted last December. In that 12-0 vote, China and Russia, which have ties to the military that seized power from Suu Kyi's elected civilian government in February 2021, abstained along with India whose two-year term on the council has ended. Britain's deputy U.N. ambassador James Kariuki read the statement, flanked by diplomats from the other countries, after the council was briefed at a closed meeting by U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths on his recent visit to Myanmar and by Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari on efforts to ..

Myanmar's military-led government reduces Suu Kyi's prison sentence

Myanmar's military-led government has reduced the prison sentences of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a clemency connected to a religious ceremony, state media said Tuesday. Former President Win Myint also had his sentence reduced as part of the clemency granted to more than 7,000 prisoners. Suu Kyi, 78, is serving 33 years' imprisonment after being convicted of 19 charges her supporters and rights group say were attempts to discredit her and legitimize the 2021 army takeover while preventing her return to politics. Several of her cases are awaiting final appeals.

Former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi transferred to state-owned residence

An NLD official who declined to be named due to security concerns told RFA Burmese: "It has been confirmed that Aung San Suu Kyi has been placed in a house in a residential area of Naypyidaw."

Myanmar's SC to hear appeal of Suu's bribery conviction: Legal officials

Myanmar's Supreme Court has agreed to hear a special appeal of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi's bribery conviction for allegedly receiving gold and thousands of dollars from a former political ally, legal officials said Tuesday. Suu Kyi, 77, was arrested when the army toppled her elected government in February 2021, and was tried on a range of charges for which she was sentenced to a total of 33 years in prison. Her supporters and independent legal experts say the cases were politically motivated in an attempt to discredit her and legitimise the military's takeover while preventing her from returning to politics. Two legal officials familiar with Suu Kyi's cases said the Supreme Court decided last Friday to hear the special appeal of the corruption case, in which she was convicted of receiving USD 600,000 and seven gold bars in 2017-18 from Phyo Min Thein, the former chief minister of Yangon, the country's biggest city. She was sentenced to five years in prison in April last year .

Myanmar junta launches airstrike on own village: Over 100 feared dead

The anti-coup militias in Myanmar, known as the People's Defence Forces, or PDFs, are waging an armed rebellion against the military junta in various parts of the country

Myanmar military launches airstrike on rebel gathering, at least 100 killed

The military is increasingly using airstrikes to counter a armed struggle against its rule, which began in February 2021 when it seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi

UN calls for democracy in Myanmar after army dissolves Aung San's party

After the dissolution of Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the United Nations has called for a return to democracy in the country

Myanmar's maritime trade up 19.42% to $22.24 billion in over 10 months

The Southeast Asian country usually does most of its foreign trade through sea routes as it has a long coastline. It conducts border trade with China, Thailand, Bangladesh and India

Myanmar's military government to let 'loyal' civilians carry guns

Myanmar's military government plans to allow loyal civilians, including government employees and retired military personnel, to carry licensed firearms, but they must comply with orders from local authorities to participate in security and law enforcement actions, the military and media reports said. The announcement fanned fears of even more violence in a country wracked by what some United Nations experts have called a civil war. The military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi two years ago, triggering widespread peaceful protests that turned into armed resistance after security forces used lethal force to suppress all opposition. A 15-page document about the new gun policy attributed to the Ministry of Home Affairs was initially circulated on pro-military Facebook accounts and Telegram channels. It was also published by pro-military and independent news outlets, which stated that it had been issued on Jan. 31 after being approved in December at a Cabinet

After extension of emergency, Myanmar declares martial law in 37 towns

The council gave the administrative and judicial power to commanders of respective military commands to perform security, maintain the rule of law and tranquility

Myanmar resistance steadfast against military rule two years later

The prospects for peace in Myanmar, much less a return to democracy, seem dimmer than ever two years after the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, experts say. On Wednesday, legions of opponents of military rule heeded a call by protest organisers to stay home in what they call a silent strike to show their strength and solidarity. The opposition's General Strike Coordination Body, formed soon after the 2021 takeover, urged people to stay inside in their homes or workplaces from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Photos posted on social media showed empty streets in the normally bustling downtown area of Yangon, the country's largest city, with just a few vehicles on the roads, and there were reports of similar scenes elsewhere. Small peaceful protests are an almost-daily occurrence throughout the country, but on the anniversary of the Feb. 1, 2021, seizure of power by the army, two points stand out: The level of violence, especially in the countryside, has reached th

Myanmar court finds Suu Kyi guilty of corruption, sentences 7 yrs in prison

A court in military-ruled Myanmar on Friday convicted the country's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi of corruption, sentencing her to seven years in prison in the last of a string of criminal cases against her, a legal official said. The court's action leaves her with a total of 33 years to serve in prison following a series of politically tinged prosecutions since the army toppled her elected government in February 2021. She has also been convicted of several other offenses, which previously gave her a total of 26 years' imprisonment. Her supporters and independent analysts say the charges against her are an attempt to legitimise the military's seizure of power while eliminating her from politics before an election it has promised for next year. Friday's verdict in the purpose-built courtroom in the main prison on the outskirts of the capital, Naypyitaw, was made known by a legal official who insisted on anonymity for fear of being punished by the authorities. The trial was closed t

Air strike during concert in Myanmar's Kachin state kills at least 60

Myanmar has been gripped by violence since the army overthrew an elected government early last year

Graft convictions extend ex-Myanmar leader Suu Kyi's prison term to 26 yrs

A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted the country's ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, on two more corruption charges on Wednesday, with two three-year sentences, to be served concurrently, added to previous convictions that now leave her with a 26-year total prison term. Suu Kyi, 77, was detained on February 1, 2021, when the military seized power from her elected government. She has denied the allegations against her in this case, in which she was accused of receiving USD 550,000 as a bribe from Maung Weik, a tycoon convicted several years ago of drug trafficking. She had already been sentenced to 23 years' imprisonment after being convicted of illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, violating coronavirus restrictions, breaching the country's official secrets act, sedition, election fraud and five other corruption charges. Supporters and independent analysts say all the charges are politically motivated and an attempt to discredit her and legitimise the military's