Running from conscription, enraged by the military and boosted by the sudden, unexpected scent of victory, Myanmar’s youth have decided they have to either flee the country or join the fight.

But the military is likely to ‘fight ever more brutally, the closer it comes to defeat’, analysts say, even as ‘pace of liberation quickens’ in Myanmar.

The anti-junta operation came amid rising anger in Beijing with the junta over rampant crime on the border, which created conditions that supported the blitzkrieg, analysts say.

Gang and political violence globally, as well as ‘economic repercussions of Covid-related restrictions’ accounted for the higher figure in 2021.

Sean Turnell, a co-defendant with Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, was imprisoned in Myanmar after being accused of being a spy and convicted by a junta-run court.

East Timor’s charge d’affaires is believed to be the first foreign diplomat expelled from Myanmar since the February 2021 coup that deposed Aung San Suu Kyi.

In 2021, diplomats close to the junta seized the embassy in London and refused access to Kyaw Zwar Minn – a supporter of Aung San Suu Kyi’s overthrown government – and he hasn’t left the ambassador’s residence since.

East Timor has been a strong advocate of democracy, but has also had to moderate its views in order to gain Asean membership.

The move comes as views against the junta start to harden, over its air wars, and as it steps up its campaign of terror against the population.

Myanmar’s ex-leader will be pardoned for five of the 19 offences for which she was jailed for a total of 33 years following the 2021 coup. Former president Win Myint was also pardoned.

Thailand’s prime minister invited Myanmar’s junta-appointed Foreign Minister Than Shwe to the talks, despite criticism over failing to honour agreement to talk with opponents linked to ousted Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Thailand’s foreign minister, in letter to his Asean counterparts, is said to have invited them to an informal meeting on Sunday.

‘Crisis after crisis is testing our strength as a community. Failure to address them risk jeopardising our relevance’, says Indonesian minister, as bloc begins three-day summit.

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo did not provide details of the incident but said it would not deter efforts by Indonesia and Asean to push for peace in Myanmar.

Deputy director Sai Kyaw Thu of the Union Election Commission was shot dead and the anti-coup People’s Defence Forces are responsible for the killing, the army’s information team says.

Aung San Suu Kyi, 77, faces 33 years in detention – if her appeal is upheld her sentence could be reduced by 13 years.

Myanmar doesn’t have the financial or technical capabilities to carry out the military modernisation seen on the Coco Islands, analysts say.

Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, or NLD, was one of 40 parties ordered dissolved in an official announcement by the election commission published on Wednesday.

The two Southeast Asian nations also ratified landmark agreements made last year, covering airspace management, defence cooperation and extradition.

Decision to license guns is widely seen as a way for the military government to arm its supporters to help state security forces battle pro-democracy opponents.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has made the request as Thailand appears reluctant to hold the junta to account while other neighbouring countries are vocal about the conflict that has sparked a refugee crisis.

Any polls will fall short of democratic standards, and prospects for peace and stability are ‘extremely bleak’ this year, critics say.