https://www.scmp.com/rss/21205/feed Burmese pro democracy leader and Nobel Peace prize winner. A renowned advocate of non-violence and human rights who spent many years under house arrest. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Jean Iau Jean Iau Deeper economic cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will hinge on whether a code can be laid down to govern maritime territory and activity in the South China Sea, Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has said. “We cannot institutionalise any of those things until the code of conduct is finalised,” he told a press conference on Friday at the close of the 48th Asean summit in Cebu, when asked about aspects that held the most potential in relations between... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3352954/asean-step-push-south-china-sea-code-energy-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3352954/asean-step-push-south-china-sea-code-energy-security?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2026 14:22:40 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The spectre of the global energy crisis loomed over the three-day Asean summit in the Philippines as regional leaders converge for a final day of talks in Cebu on Friday. Analysts say that while some major flashpoints were addressed – with Thailand and Cambodia’s joint statement of solidarity being a bright spot – surging fuel costs as a result of the Iran war weighed heaviest on the minds of Southeast Asian leaders. The fuel crisis was the “defining issue”, said Vu Lam, an Asean observer and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3352850/energy-crisis-dominates-asean-summit-forcing-long-standing-issues-back-burner?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3352850/energy-crisis-dominates-asean-summit-forcing-long-standing-issues-back-burner?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2026 05:17:18 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Sentiment is warming among some Southeast Asian members towards easing Myanmar’s isolation five years after a coup, with diplomats signalling a possible opening to bring the crisis-torn nation back into the fold. Southeast Asian foreign ministers have agreed to a virtual meeting with their Myanmar counterpart, according to Asean’s secretary general on Thursday. In an interview during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit ‌in the Philippines on Thursday, Kao Kim Hourn said Myanmar had... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3352831/asean-members-warm-towards-myanmar-raising-hopes-it-could-come-cold?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3352831/asean-members-warm-towards-myanmar-raising-hopes-it-could-come-cold?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2026 02:18:28 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Myanmar’s appointment of a close confidant of US President Donald Trump to rebuild ties with Washington could offer the regime a sliver of hope to rebrand itself, even as a breakthrough on major issues, such as American investment in the country’s critical minerals sector, is likely to be limited. Naypyidaw’s Ministry of Information has hired veteran American political lobbyist Roger Stone to boost relations with the Trump administration, according to filings under the US Foreign Agents... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3352715/myanmars-military-rulers-hire-trump-ally-us50000-month-lobby-washington?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3352715/myanmars-military-rulers-hire-trump-ally-us50000-month-lobby-washington?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 08:00:34 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The son of Myanmar’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi demanded France’s help in seeking independently verified proof of his mother’s life after she was transferred to house arrest, her lawyers said. The country’s junta chief-turned-president Min Aung Hlaing on Thursday ordered the 80-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner to be moved, five years after putting her into detention in a coup. But her son, Kim Aris, says he has still not heard from his mother, who remains massively popular inside... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3352550/aung-san-suu-kyis-son-asks-france-help-him-locate-mother-myanmar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3352550/aung-san-suu-kyis-son-asks-france-help-him-locate-mother-myanmar?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2026 01:27:44 +0000 Reuters Reuters Myanmar’s detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been moved to house arrest, state media reported on Thursday, over five years after the country’s military ousted a civilian government led by the Nobel laureate and imprisoned her. Suu Kyi, 80, has been detained by ‌the junta since and her whereabouts have been unclear amid a deadly civil war that was triggered by the February 2021 coup that has engulfed much of the impoverished Southeast Asian nation. “… the remaining portion of Daw Aung... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3352081/myanmars-aung-san-suu-kyi-moved-prison-house-arrest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3352081/myanmars-aung-san-suu-kyi-moved-prison-house-arrest?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:33:07 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Myanmar’s military-backed rulers have shaved time off Aung San Suu Kyi’s prison sentence and freed thousands of detainees, but analysts say the apparent goodwill gestures tell a story of a regime growing bolder, not more merciful. The government last week announced an amnesty for 4,335 prisoners, its third in six months, and reduced by a sixth the 27-year sentence of the 80-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi, who has not been seen in public since her criminal trials ended in December... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350967/why-myanmars-token-amnesties-are-no-cause-celebration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350967/why-myanmars-token-amnesties-are-no-cause-celebration?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 05:25:30 +0000 Reuters Reuters Myanmar’s new military-backed government wants to hold peace talks with ⁠opposition armed groups by the ⁠end of July, the country’s ⁠junta leader-turned-president said, but two key rebel groups rejected the offer on Tuesday. State media reported that President Min Aung Hlaing, who led a coup five years ago that plunged the Southeast Asian country into a civil war that continues to ‌rage, told a government meeting that he wanted rebel groups that were not part of a ceasefire deal to join talks to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350921/myanmar-president-seeks-peace-talks-july-31-2-rebel-groups-reject-offer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350921/myanmar-president-seeks-peace-talks-july-31-2-rebel-groups-reject-offer?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:46:56 +0000 Reuters,Agence France-Presse Reuters,Agence France-Presse Myanmar ⁠has freed former president Win Myint and reduced the sentence of imprisoned former leader Aung San Suu ‌Kyi as part of an ‌amnesty that saw the release of 4,335 prisoners, according to state media. “The president has pardoned Win Myint,” said a statement on Friday from the office of newly elected president Min Aung Hlaing. Win Myint, an ally ‌of ⁠Suu Kyi, served as president ⁠from 2018 and 2021 but ‌was ousted ‌by a military coup and had been detained since. Suu Kyi’s 27-year sentence... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350424/myanmar-cuts-aung-san-suu-kyi-prison-term-4-1/2-years-broad-ranging-amnesty-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350424/myanmar-cuts-aung-san-suu-kyi-prison-term-4-1/2-years-broad-ranging-amnesty-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 06:27:44 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones His makeover from junta chief to president now complete, Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing may seek to tiptoe back into the international fold as a civilian leader. But critics say the change is just a “veneer” that poses a challenge for Asean, the regional bloc that has frozen out Myanmar from its top summits, while its military wages war on its own people. On Friday, a parliament stuffed with military loyalists made Min Aung Hlaing president. They were put there by an election held five years after... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348909/myanmars-junta-chief-min-aung-hlaing-wins-parliamentary-vote-become-president?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348909/myanmars-junta-chief-min-aung-hlaing-wins-parliamentary-vote-become-president?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 06:00:59 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow The Myanmar junta’s attempts to place its top man in the country’s highest civilian position have been described by analysts as a “constitutional repackaging of continued military rule”. On Monday, Min Aung Hlaing, who led the military in the 2021 coup and has headed the junta since then, resigned from the armed forces, moving one step closer to becoming president. He stepped down after Myanmar’s parliament had cleared the way for his nomination. He handed over the role of commander-in-chief of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348662/why-myanmar-top-generals-exit-window-dressing-cement-military-rule?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348662/why-myanmar-top-generals-exit-window-dressing-cement-military-rule?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 09:05:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Myanmar cleared the way on Monday for coup-leading General Min Aung Hlaing to become president and maintain his rule in civilian garb, with lawmakers nominating him as a vice-presidential candidate and the junta replacing him as military commander. Min Aung Hlaing has ruled Myanmar since 2021 when he ordered a coup toppling the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi – detaining the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, dissolving her party and triggering civil war. After five years of hardline rule, he... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348416/myanmar-paves-way-junta-chief-be-civilian-president-ruling-iron-fist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348416/myanmar-paves-way-junta-chief-be-civilian-president-ruling-iron-fist?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 10:23:09 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Five years after armoured vehicles rolled through the streets of Myanmar’s capital and the generals tore up an election result they did not like, a new parliament sat for the first time on Monday. The legislature that convened in Naypyidaw was stacked almost entirely with allies of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the coup leader who ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021. In Myanmar’s recent election, held across barely a third of the country, the army-backed Union Solidarity... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346724/myanmars-junta-proxy-parliament-meets-first-time-2021-coup?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346724/myanmars-junta-proxy-parliament-meets-first-time-2021-coup?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 06:51:29 +0000 Ben Dunant Ben Dunant Myanmar’s new parliament will convene next week, following an election tightly stage-managed by the junta. The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) will enjoy a commanding majority and the party of former generals can be expected to preserve the interests of the military and its associates. It’s unclear just how closely these broader interests align with the political ambitions of junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. He does not formally lead the USDP, whose majority means it can... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3346527/myanmars-junta-staged-election-it-couldnt-stage-legitimacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3346527/myanmars-junta-staged-election-it-couldnt-stage-legitimacy?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 04:00:13 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Myanmar’s military junta granted amnesty on Monday to more than 7,000 prisoners convicted of financing or sheltering a “terrorist group”, a designation it has used to outlaw pro-democracy factions opposing its rule. Thousands of dissenting civilians have been swept into jails since Myanmar’s military snatched power in a 2021 coup, ending a decade-long experiment with democracy and detaining elected figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi. Pro-democracy activists backing Suu Kyi and armed groups challenging... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3345128/myanmar-convicts-charged-terrorists-junta-freed-mass-amnesty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3345128/myanmar-convicts-charged-terrorists-junta-freed-mass-amnesty?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 08:53:23 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Early in 2021, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw and held talks with both General Min Aung Hlaing, the chief of the armed forces, and Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of the civilian government. The meeting was a chance for China to voice support for Myanmar’s “national conditions” development path and signal China’s long-term pragmatic approach to ties with its southwestern neighbour, irrespective of who was in power. That strategy, however, came under... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343830/5-years-and-1-election-later-why-chinas-myanmar-dilemma-still-isnt-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343830/5-years-and-1-election-later-why-chinas-myanmar-dilemma-still-isnt-over?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 22:00:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A prominent leader of an independent resistance group in Myanmar that had come under attack by rivals who are loyal to the mainstream opposition force has surrendered to the country’s military authorities, state media reported on Thursday. The surrender of Bo Nagar, a leader of the Burma National Revolutionary Army (BNRA), in the upper-central region of Sagaing was a dramatic reminder of fractures within the armed resistance movement, which has led to sporadic clashes over control of territory... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344045/myanmar-rebel-leader-bo-nagar-surrenders-junta-amid-resistance-infighting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344045/myanmar-rebel-leader-bo-nagar-surrenders-junta-amid-resistance-infighting?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 15:34:18 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Myanmar ’s military government ordered East Timor ’s senior diplomat to leave the country after judicial authorities from the fellow Southeast Asian country accepted a criminal complaint against Myanmar’s armed forces, state media said on Monday. The move sharply escalates tensions between the two countries and is a rare step between members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which East Timor joined only last year. There was no immediate response from East Timor’s government when... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343753/east-timor-triggers-asean-first-accuses-myanmar-war-crimes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343753/east-timor-triggers-asean-first-accuses-myanmar-war-crimes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 10:46:33 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Myanmar’s junta called for ex-civil servants who quit their jobs in protest over the coup five years ago to report back to work, pledging to remove absent state employees from “blacklists” on Sunday. After the military snatched power in a coup on February 1, 2021, tens of thousands of public workers, including doctors and government administrators, left their posts in a surge of civil disobedience. Some found private employment, while others joined pro-democracy rebels defying the military in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3341992/myanmar-junta-pledges-remove-former-civil-servants-blacklists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3341992/myanmar-junta-pledges-remove-former-civil-servants-blacklists?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 08:54:05 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Myanmar’s military proxy party has claimed a predictable victory in an election widely condemned as a sham, a result likely to hardwire the junta into power indefinitely. For millions of disenfranchised citizens like May*, who fled to neighbouring Thailand to escape the crackdown, the landslide win holds no credibility. “None of us voted,” the 38-year-old migrant said. “The military held the election for themselves and they won. But they have all of the power anyway, so what was the point?” On... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3341224/myanmars-junta-backed-party-declares-majority-poll-decried-fraudulent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3341224/myanmars-junta-backed-party-declares-majority-poll-decried-fraudulent?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 06:20:10 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow With Myanmar in the throes of an election widely expected to return its military junta to power, calls have renewed for Asean to rethink its approach of not engaging the regime. The region, observers warn, should also brace itself for the “very real possibility” that half of Southeast Asia might eventually recognise the results of Myanmar’s election and by extension the ruling junta. On Sunday, Myanmar began its second round of voting in the country’s first general election since the military... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340024/asean-urged-rethink-stance-myanmar-election-risks-normalising-junta-rule?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340024/asean-urged-rethink-stance-myanmar-election-risks-normalising-junta-rule?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 10:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Myanmar’s main pro-military party on Monday claimed victory in the parliamentary seat of sidelined democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi in an election being derided as a ploy to prolong junta rule. The armed forces have ruled Myanmar for most of the nation’s post-independence history before a decade-long democratic thaw saw civilians assume control. But the military snatched back power with a 2021 coup, deposing and detaining Aung San Suu Kyi after claiming a landslide election victory over the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3339573/myanmars-pro-junta-party-wins-aung-san-suu-kyis-former-seat-surprise-no-one?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3339573/myanmars-pro-junta-party-wins-aung-san-suu-kyis-former-seat-surprise-no-one?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 07:32:44 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Myanmar’s pro-military party has a decisive lead in the first phase of junta-run elections, winning 90 per cent of the lower house seats announced so far, official results published in state media showed. The military grabbed power in a 2021 putsch that triggered civil war, pitting pro-democracy rebels against junta forces for control of the country. Myanmar’s junta opened voting in the phased month-long election a week ago, with its leaders pledging the poll would bring on democracy. However,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338653/myanmars-junta-backed-party-wins-90-seats-first-vote-phase?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338653/myanmars-junta-backed-party-wins-90-seats-first-vote-phase?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jan 2026 04:32:22 +0000 Reuters Reuters Myanmar’s military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party is leading after the first phase of a contentious general ‍election, early results cited by state media showed, in the first vote since a 2021 coup. Having sparked a nationwide rebellion after crushing pro-democracy protests in the wake of its coup, the ruling junta has said the three-phase vote would bring political stability to the impoverished Southeast Asian ⁠nation. Partial results from Myanmar’s first election since 2020,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338595/myanmar-military-backed-party-leads-elections-first-phase-wide-margin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338595/myanmar-military-backed-party-leads-elections-first-phase-wide-margin?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jan 2026 03:56:23 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Asean will assess developments in Myanmar following the first phase of elections and avoid actions that would “confer premature legitimacy” to any party, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Tuesday. His comments came as Myanmar’s dominant pro-military party claimed an overwhelming victory in the first phase of the elections after democracy watchdogs warned the junta-run poll would only entrench military rule. The armed forces snatched power in a 2021 coup that triggered civil war, but... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338189/malaysias-anwar-says-asean-assess-myanmar-after-premature-polls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338189/malaysias-anwar-says-asean-assess-myanmar-after-premature-polls?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 12:02:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Myanmar’s dominant pro-military party claimed an overwhelming victory in the first phase of the elections, a senior party official said, after democracy watchdogs warned the junta-run poll would entrench military rule. The armed forces snatched power in a 2021 coup, but on Sunday opened voting in a phased month-long election they pledge will return power to the people. “We won 82 lower house seats in townships which have finished counting, out of the total of 102,” a senior member of the Union... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338058/myanmar-pro-military-party-claims-big-lead-disputed-junta-run-poll-election-not-credible?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338058/myanmar-pro-military-party-claims-big-lead-disputed-junta-run-poll-election-not-credible?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 12:40:08 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones The first day of voting in Myanmar’s three-stage election was held on Sunday, a process decried as a charade with the most popular pro-democracy party banned and up to half the war-torn country unable to vote. In the capital, Naypyidaw, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing cast his vote in an election he views as a way to cement the future of the military in a country torn apart by civil war since he seized power after the public rejected army-linked parties in the last poll. “People should vote,” the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337919/myanmar-polls-open-amid-civil-war-junta-seeks-prolong-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337919/myanmar-polls-open-amid-civil-war-junta-seeks-prolong-power?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Dec 2025 00:10:36 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Taya says her life was looking up as Myanmar crept out from decades of isolation. She had a job in marketing, enough money to shop in Yangon’s new retail plazas and fuel her quiet dreams of opening a small bakery, as her generation enjoyed unprecedented economic and personal freedoms. But that was before Myanmar’s short-lived experiment with greater democracy ended in a coup in 2021. With the military once more in charge, the economy is in free fall, and inflation has surged to well over 20 per... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337820/lost-my-future-myanmars-charade-election-dims-hopes-diaspora?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337820/lost-my-future-myanmars-charade-election-dims-hopes-diaspora?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2025 00:00:08 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow The Myanmar junta’s recent air strikes on a hospital just days before a general election this month are aimed at securing more territory and “intimidating” voters while major powers look the other way due to their own economic and strategic interests, according to analysts. The country’s junta said last Wednesday’s air strikes on a hospital in Mrauk-U in the western state of Rakhine were part of a counterterrorism operation targeting armed groups using the facility as a base for their... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337001/myanmar-hospital-air-strikes-heighten-election-turmoil-amid-global-inaction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337001/myanmar-hospital-air-strikes-heighten-election-turmoil-amid-global-inaction?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 04:30:08 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo A 24-year-old fighter from Myanmar’s pro-democracy People’s Defence Force has said many of those who fight alongside him have switched sides at times in the long-running civil war, with a lack of financial compensation forcing them to temporarily side with a junta-aligned armed group. The fighter, who identified himself only as Soe, joined the PDF to “regain democracy” after the military coup of February 1, 2021, which ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Formerly a physics major... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3335695/starving-myanmar-fighters-join-junta-linked-group-money-dirty-reality-bites?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3335695/starving-myanmar-fighters-join-junta-linked-group-money-dirty-reality-bites?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 04:24:45 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Myanmar’s junta has grown so dependent on mainland China for political and economic support that it is highlighting issues such as Taiwan to signal “loyalty” towards Beijing and secure backing for an imminent election that the military hopes will legitimise its rule, according to analysts. This dependence was evident last month when the military-led regime condemned Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan in language closely aligned with Beijing’s talking points, reflecting... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335243/myanmars-criticism-takaichi-signals-loyalty-china-ahead-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335243/myanmars-criticism-takaichi-signals-loyalty-china-ahead-election?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Dec 2025 02:30:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters Opium poppy cultivation in war-torn Myanmar has surged to its highest level in a decade, rising 17 per cent in the past year as conflict and economic hardship push more farmers into the illicit trade, the United Nations said on Wednesday. Poppy cultivation climbed to 53,100 hectares (131,000 acres) this year from 45,200 hectares in 2024, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in a report, underlining Myanmar’s position as the world’s main known source of illicit opium amid declining... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3335016/myanmar-opium-poppy-cultivation-hits-10-year-high-farmers-pushed-illegal-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3335016/myanmar-opium-poppy-cultivation-hits-10-year-high-farmers-pushed-illegal-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 06:11:06 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow The Myanmar junta’s highly publicised crackdown on cyberfraud hubs near its borders is less a law enforcement statement than a calculated performance, analysts say, aimed at placating China and shoring up credibility ahead of an election widely seen as illegitimate. Observers said the operation reflected the military’s need to project control in the face of domestic insurgency and foreign pressure, particularly from Beijing, whose citizens have been both victims and conscripts in the sprawling... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334375/myanmars-cyberscam-crackdown-just-pre-poll-law-and-order-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334375/myanmars-cyberscam-crackdown-just-pre-poll-law-and-order-show?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Nov 2025 11:00:20 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Trump administration said on Monday it is ending temporary legal status for citizens of Myanmar in the United States, arguing they can safely return to the war-torn Southeast Asian country and citing the military junta’s planned elections as evidence of an improving situation. The move sparked concern for individuals who may be forced to return to Myanmar, which has been in political turmoil since the military seized power in a 2021 coup, ousting a civilian government and sparking a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334009/us-ends-temporary-status-myanmar-nationals-cites-coming-elections-progress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334009/us-ends-temporary-status-myanmar-nationals-cites-coming-elections-progress?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 21:13:12 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran As the 47th Asean summit came to a close this week, questions remained over the bloc’s handling of the Myanmar crisis and whether it had done enough to bring peace to the war-torn country. The three-day summit saw the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations discuss various issues, including the ongoing clashes between Myanmar’s junta and opposition forces. Several members also signed trade deals with the United States. “Myanmar was lower on the agenda at the summit compared with other... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330894/aseans-meek-diplomacy-sufficient-end-myanmar-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330894/aseans-meek-diplomacy-sufficient-end-myanmar-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Oct 2025 10:00:34 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Before a Myanmar student descends into a classroom entombed in a concrete bunker, she prays for compassion and her community’s safety, knowing her appeal will go unanswered. “May the fighter jets not come. May the pilots show kindness to us. May the bombs not explode,” 18-year-old Phyo Phyo said, recalling her unspoken wishes. She is enrolled in a class of around a dozen at the subterranean academy, founded in June after a junta strike obliterated a nearby school and killed at least 20 pupils... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3328618/myanmar-students-bunker-schools-learn-lesson-fear-air-strikes-intensify?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3328618/myanmar-students-bunker-schools-learn-lesson-fear-air-strikes-intensify?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Oct 2025 01:31:07 +0000 Amy Chew Amy Chew For much of his life, Kim Aris, 48, the younger son of Myanmar’s detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, stayed out of the spotlight and kept his silence. He avoided the media even as they sought him out, snapping his pictures in a frenzy during those rare times when he was allowed to visit his famous mother in Myanmar. But following the 2021 coup that saw the military junta jail his mother, London-based Aris reluctantly stepped forward to speak out in the hope of alerting the world to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327542/aung-san-suu-kyis-son-seeks-chinas-help-secure-her-release-myanmar-jail?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327542/aung-san-suu-kyis-son-seeks-chinas-help-secure-her-release-myanmar-jail?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Oct 2025 10:00:14 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Myanmar and Asean leaders are locked in a “diplomatic impasse” with the military junta determined to prevent the bloc from interfering with its plans for a general election later this year, according to observers. Four foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations last week postponed their planned trip to Myanmar to discuss the election, which is set to begin in December, and other matters. The diplomats from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines were originally... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3326361/aseans-failure-meet-myanmar-junta-over-election-shows-its-limited-leverage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3326361/aseans-failure-meet-myanmar-junta-over-election-shows-its-limited-leverage?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2025 07:01:42 +0000 Jill Lander Jill Lander The second month of autumn is represented by the energy of the Rooster. This is the month when we should all practice open communication and avoid blowing minor issues out of proportion, if we wish for progress and success. Assessing the global energy flow, this may prove to be a month of extreme tension when tempers could get out of control and small issues could result in wide-ranging international conflict, courtesy of the feisty Rooster energy. World leaders will be gathering to quell... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/article/3324745/horoscopes-whats-your-luck-september-2025-wood-rooster-month?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/article/3324745/horoscopes-whats-your-luck-september-2025-wood-rooster-month?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2025 17:00:10 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Myanmar’s military regime wants to hold the first election since it seized power in 2021, but opponents have decried the idea as senseless amid the country’s civil war, as they warn of more bloodshed while the junta embarks on a doomed attempt at a reset. The country has announced that the first phase of the general election is scheduled to begin on December 28, with additional stages to follow. The statement offers the clearest timeline yet after months of vague promises by the junta’s leader,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322662/myanmar-juntas-sham-election-plan-slammed-gateway-more-bloodshed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322662/myanmar-juntas-sham-election-plan-slammed-gateway-more-bloodshed?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Aug 2025 09:12:52 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Myanmar’s junta said on Monday that long-promised elections would start on December 28, despite a raging civil war that has put much of the country out of its control, and international monitors slating the poll as a charade. Myanmar has been consumed by conflict since the military deposed the government of democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, making unsubstantiated allegations of electoral fraud. Swathes of the country are beyond military control - administered by a myriad of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3322200/myanmar-hold-election-december-28-junta-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3322200/myanmar-hold-election-december-28-junta-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Aug 2025 06:55:36 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Myanmar junta air strike on a rebel-occupied ruby mining hub killed 13 people on Saturday, according to a resident and a spokesperson for an armed opposition group. Civil war has consumed Myanmar since the military seized power in a 2021 coup, sparking resistance from pro-democracy guerillas who found common cause with long-active ethnic armed groups. Their scattered forces initially struggled to make headway, but a combined offensive starting in late 2023 seized swathes of territory,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3320596/13-killed-myanmar-junta-strike-rebel-occupied-ruby-mine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3320596/13-killed-myanmar-junta-strike-rebel-occupied-ruby-mine?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Aug 2025 10:53:49 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Myanmar’s junta ended the country’s state of emergency on Thursday, ramping up preparations for a December election being boycotted by opposition groups and criticised by international monitors. The military declared a state of emergency in February 2021 as it deposed the civilian government of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking a multi-sided civil war that has claimed thousands of lives. The order gave junta chief Min Aung Hlaing supreme power over the legislature, executive and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3320260/myanmars-state-emergency-ends-junta-prepares-controversial-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3320260/myanmars-state-emergency-ends-junta-prepares-controversial-election?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Jul 2025 06:59:13 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Myanmar’s junta said on Wednesday it had enacted a new law dictating prison sentences for critics or protesters of their planned election, which was being boycotted by opposition groups. The junta seized power in a 2021 coup, sparking a many-sided civil war, and has touted elections at the end of this year as a path to peace. Opposition groups – including democratic lawmakers ousted by the military takeover – and international monitors have called the poll a ploy to legitimise the junta’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3320158/myanmar-junta-enacts-new-law-jail-election-critics-protesters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3320158/myanmar-junta-enacts-new-law-jail-election-critics-protesters?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jul 2025 11:19:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The head of Myanmar’s military government made a rare appearance at a ceremony on Saturday honouring General Aung San, an independence hero and father of jailed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi. It was the first time that 69-year-old Senior General Min Aung Hlaing attended the Martyrs’ Day wreath-laying since the army ousted Suu Kyi and seized power in February 2021. The leader’s appearance comes as his embattled government is preparing to hold elections while fighting armed opposition groups... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3318862/myanmars-military-leader-makes-rare-appearance-event-honouring-aung-san-suu-kyis-father?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3318862/myanmars-military-leader-makes-rare-appearance-event-honouring-aung-san-suu-kyis-father?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Jul 2025 11:38:07 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Myanmar’s junta chief Min Aung Hlaing praised Donald Trump in a rare letter and compared his military’s coup to the US president’s baseless claims of election fraud, suggesting both leaders were victims of rigged votes. “Similar to the challenges you encountered during the 2020 election of the US, we also experienced major electoral fraud and significant irregularities,” Min Aung Hlaing wrote to Trump, in the regime’s first known direct correspondence with the US government in over four... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317856/myanmar-junta-chief-hails-trump-rare-overture-seeks-tariff-cuts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317856/myanmar-junta-chief-hails-trump-rare-overture-seeks-tariff-cuts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Jul 2025 07:49:12 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Malaysia called on Sunday for the extension and expansion of a post-earthquake ceasefire in Myanmar, as it ramped up calls for the long-awaited implementation of a five-point peace plan. The ruling military junta initially declared a truce in the many-sided civil war after a huge quake in late March killed nearly 3,800 and left tens of thousands homeless. That agreement, which has been extended before, is due to expire at the end of May – though conflict monitors say fighting and junta air... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3311735/malaysia-calls-expansion-myanmars-post-earthquake-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3311735/malaysia-calls-expansion-myanmars-post-earthquake-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 May 2025 12:33:58 +0000 Hadi Azmi Hadi Azmi Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim risks helping to legitimise Myanmar’s junta when he meets its leader Min Aung Hlaing in Bangkok on Thursday, analysts warn, in the first visit with the sanctioned military chief by a sitting Asean chair since his 2021 coup. Civil war has ripped Myanmar apart since Min Aung Hlaing seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, plunging the economy into crisis, killing thousands of civilians and displacing millions more. Many have poured across... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3306532/how-malaysias-anwar-risks-legitimising-myanmar-junta?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3306532/how-malaysias-anwar-risks-legitimising-myanmar-junta?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Apr 2025 04:06:00 +0000 Myanmar’s ruling military declared a temporary ceasefire in the country’s civil war Wednesday to facilitate relief efforts following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that has killed more than 3,000 people. The announcement by the military’s high command was reported late Wednesday on state television MRTV, which said the truce would run until April 22 and was aimed at showing compassion for people affected by Friday’s quake. The announcement followed unilateral temporary ceasefires announced by armed... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3304960/myanmar-junta-declares-temporary-ceasefire-quake-relief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3304960/myanmar-junta-declares-temporary-ceasefire-quake-relief?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Apr 2025 14:44:38 +0000 Myanmar’s growing isolation in Southeast Asia was underscored by a visit by its military ruler to Russia this week, with observers noting the move also marked a chance for Moscow to build its influence in the region. Myanmar’s junta was believed to have requested additional arms from Russia, including drone technology. President Vladimir Putin held talks on Tuesday with General Min Aung Hlaing, who was on his fourth trip to Russia since his army seized power from the elected government of Aung... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3301448/global-shift-gives-putin-breathing-room-give-myanmar-junta-russian-arms-amid-isolation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3301448/global-shift-gives-putin-breathing-room-give-myanmar-junta-russian-arms-amid-isolation?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Mar 2025 08:00:16 +0000