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Myanmar

Latest news, updates and opinion on Myanmar, covering politics, economy, society and the country’s relationships with China and India, and other countries in Southeast Asia.

Capital

Naypyidaw

Head of State

Acting President Min Aung Hlaing

Head of Government

Prime Minister Min Aung Hlaing

last updated:

29 November, 2024

Eason Chan performs in Shenzhen on his “Fear and Dream World Tour”. Photo: Facebook/Fear and Dreams World Tour

Hong Kong society

Hong Kong’s Eason Chan axes Thai show over ‘safety issues’ for Chinese citizens

Cantopop star’s concert, scheduled for February 22, axed just days after mainland actor reported missing and later rescued.

10 Jan 2025 - 9:52PM

Asia travel

Chinese cancel Thai holidays as actor Wang Xing’s kidnapping fuels safety fears

10 Jan 2025 - 9:20AMvideocam

Crime

Chinese actor Wang Xing says fraud gang trafficked him to Myanmar scam compound

9 Jan 2025 - 5:59PMvideocam

Japan

Japan gangster may face life behind bars over bid to sell nuke material to Iran

Takeshi Ebisawa admitted at his plea that he ‘brazenly trafficked’ material including weapons-grade plutonium out of Myanmar.

9 Jan 2025 - 2:44PMvideocam

Takeshi Ebisawa poses with a rocket launcher at a warehouse in Copenhagen, Denmark. File photo: Reuters

Wellness

Inside Myanmar drug rehab centre where tough love is the prescription

Weightlifting, karate drills and tug-of-war contests are all activities at the facility in a country that produces huge amounts of narcotics.

9 Jan 2025 - 7:15AM

Thailand

Missing Chinese actor found in Myanmar

Wang Xing, also known as Xing Xing, became unreachable after he was reportedly seen at the Thai-Myanmar border following his arrival in Bangkok early on Friday

8 Jan 2025 - 4:35PM

Crime in Hong Kong

26 Hongkongers trapped in Southeast Asia for forced labour seek government help

Security Bureau says 26 cases involving residents detained and unable to leave Southeast Asian countries had been logged as of December 31.

8 Jan 2025 - 8:27PM

Yau Tsim Mong district councillor Yu Tak-po (right) with Kelvin (centre) and Kelvin’s relative at the Thai consulate in Hong Kong. Photo: Nora Tam

Crime

Chinese actor Wang Xing rescued after going missing in Thailand

Wang Xing, aka Xing Xing, became unreachable after he was taken to the Thai-Myanmar border following his arrival in Bangkok early on Friday.

8 Jan 2025 - 4:43PMvideocam

Crime

Chinese actor Wang Xing reported missing in Thailand near scam hub

Social media user claiming to be girlfriend of actor known as Xing Xing says his last known location was near Myanmar border city.

6 Jan 2025 - 6:54PMvideocam

Myanmar junta frees thousands under amnesty

The ruling junta freed over 6,000 prisoners under a mass amnesty marking the 77th anniversary of independence from Britain

6 Jan 2025 - 5:30PM

01:40

Malaysia

Stateless no more? Rohingya in Malaysia turn to tech to fight erasure

The project aims to harness blockchain technology to create a ‘decentralised identity’ and preserve the Rohingya’s heritage and culture.

6 Jan 2025 - 8:09AMvideocam

Malaysia

Malaysia turns away hundreds of Rohingya refugees after dozens landed on island

Authorities said on Saturday that they turned away two boats carrying nearly 300 people believed to be Rohingya refugees who entered the country illegally.

4 Jan 2025 - 11:30PM

Human rights

Myanmar releases thousands of prisoners to mark Independence Day

The ruling junta released more than 6,000 prisoners as part of a mass amnesty marking the 77th anniversary of independence from Britain.

6 Jan 2025 - 5:19PMvideocam

Malaysia

Malaysia doubles patrols to find Myanmar migrant boats

The coastguard says 196 migrants, thought to be Rohingya refugees, were detained on Friday on the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi.

4 Jan 2025 - 1:29AMvideocam

A group of people believed to be Rohingya refugees from Myanmar rest in a boat at a port in Sri Lanka last month. Around one million Rohingya have fled Myanmar since a military offensive was launched in 2017. Photo: AP

China-Asean relations

China charges Myanmar Golden Triangle suspects with murder and fraud

The 39 suspects include 16 Myanmese nationals and members of the notorious Ming family, which operated in the border region of Kokang.

30 Dec 2024 - 7:45PMvideocam

Myanmar handed members of the Ming family over to China on suspicion of telecoms fraud. Photo: Ministry of Public Security

War and conflict

Pope urges ‘all people of all nations’ to silence arms in Christmas address

He called for an end to conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East, singling out Christian communities in the region.

26 Dec 2024 - 12:18AM

North Korea

Revolution, elections and a baby hippo, this was the year in Asia

From climate change to political storms and a Taylor Swift world tour, Asia in 2024 was characterised by turbulence and surprises.

24 Dec 2024 - 9:30AMvideocam

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka rescues 102 refugees adrift on fishing boat

Fishermen spotted the group, believed to be Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and including 25 children, off Sri Lanka’s northern coast.

20 Dec 2024 - 5:19PMvideocam

Rohingya refugees stand on their capsized boat as rescuers throw a rope to them off Indonesia in March. The Sri Lankan navy says it picked up 102 people thought to be Rohingya refugees on Thursday. Photo: AP

Asean

Anwar’s pick of Thaksin as adviser raises fears of ex-PM favouring Myanmar junta

Myanmar resistance groups are concerned that the former Thai leader will align his business interests with those of the military junta.

20 Dec 2024 - 2:19PMvideocam

India

‘Inhumane’: inside India’s detention camps for Rohingya refugees

A new report details dehumanising treatment and dire living conditions faced by hundreds of Rohingya held in detention camps across India.

17 Dec 2024 - 1:00PMvideocam

Myanmar’s changing ties with China

‘A long way to go’: India struggles to match China’s Myanmar outreach

China’s bigger role as a peace mediator has sparked concerns about the impact on India’s infrastructure projects in Myanmar.

16 Dec 2024 - 3:27PMvideocam

Members of Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) receiving military equipment in a secret jungle near Namhkam, Myanmar’s northern Shan State. Photo: AFP

Asean

Asian Angle | Why Asean’s neutrality is our greatest asset in a divided world

As Malaysia prepares to assume the 2025 Asean chair, its trade minister argues for a unified approach to navigate the US-China rivalry.

13 Dec 2024 - 5:13PM

Malaysia’s Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin receives an Asean emblem at the handover of Asean chairmanship in Laos on November 21. Photo: AP

Singapore

Singapore saw 9,000 phishing takedowns, Meta says in scam centre alert

The company, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, said scammers in Southeast Asia were using sophisticated tactics to lure victims.

11 Dec 2024 - 9:46AM

Asean

Opinion | Why cybersecurity could be Malaysia’s key to effective Asean leadership

Even modest success under Malaysia’s leadership could bolster the grouping’s unity and credibility, but failure will only deepen fractures in the bloc.

8 Dec 2024 - 9:44PMvideocam

Rohingya Muslims

Will Myanmar’s junta chief face justice for crimes against Rohingya?

The International Criminal Court’s actions could serve to isolate Min Aung Hlaing, but analysts question whether he will be arrested.

7 Dec 2024 - 3:45PM

Min Aung Hlaing pictured in 2018. Photo: Reuters

Thailand

Myanmar navy opens fire on Thai fishing vessels

Thailand is seeking the return of four of its citizens

3 Dec 2024 - 6:11PM

01:23

Thailand

Thailand protests after Myanmar navy fires on fishermen, detains 4

One Thai fisherman drowned in the incident and a vessel was reportedly seized by Myanmar’s navy.

3 Dec 2024 - 6:14PMvideocam

Indonesia

Rohingya refugees rescued off Indonesian coast: UN

More than 100 of the Rohingya refugees were rescued after their boat sunk of the northeastern coast of Sumatra island.

30 Nov 2024 - 8:48PM

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