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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

Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand are among countries affected by the United States’ 75-country visa suspension. Photo: TNS

Asean

Visa suspension tests US priorities in Southeast Asia

The move reflects an ‘America first’ policy approach and treats certain allies in the region as ‘strategically insignificant’, analysts say.

17 Jan 2026 - 2:00PMvideocam

India

Why India is losing ground over Bangladesh and Myanmar to regional rivals

16 Jan 2026 - 6:35PMvideocam

War and conflict

Video | Police find village-sized meth labs in Myanmar jungle

15 Jan 2026 - 9:46PM

Asean

Asean urged to rethink stance as Myanmar election risks normalising junta rule

The bloc should encourage Indonesia’s approach of engaging key stakeholders in efforts to resolve the Myanmar crisis, observers say.

15 Jan 2026 - 6:36PM

An official of the Union Election Commission displays a ballot for counting during the second phase of the general election at a polling station in Yangon, Myanmar, on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua

Cambodia

‘Not the end’: Cambodia keeps up scam crackdown after Chen Zhi sent to China

Phnom Penh signals zero tolerance for scam centres following the deportation of the Prince Group tycoon.

14 Jan 2026 - 7:38PMvideocam

Diplomacy

Philippine minister’s ‘premature’ Myanmar visit casts doubts over Asean’s role

Critics say the visit may be viewed as the bloc’s new chair endorsing a controversial junta-led election in Myanmar.

14 Jan 2026 - 4:16PM

Iran

Iranians use Musk’s Starlink to pierce internet blackout during protests

Smuggled satellite terminals offer a high-risk lifeline as Iran’s protest death toll climbs.

13 Jan 2026 - 8:16PM

Cars burn in a street during a protest in Tehran on January 8. Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters

Singapore

Singapore jails helper who slapped, hit and kicked elderly dementia patient

Nwe Nwe San also grabbed the 90-year-old woman by her shirt, swung her around several times and repeatedly pushed her onto the sofa.

13 Jan 2026 - 11:43AM

Aung San Suu Kyi

Myanmar’s pro-junta party wins Aung San Suu Kyi’s seat: ‘surprise no one’

The military-backed party claims to have won 90 per cent of the available seats so far in a poll activists have derided as ‘engineered’.

12 Jan 2026 - 4:24PM

Scams and swindles

Editorial | Regional cooperation led to arrest of alleged scam kingpin Chen Zhi

The cross-border nature of his alleged criminal network required governments and law enforcement agencies to work together.

10 Jan 2026 - 6:45AM

This undated photo shows Chen Zhi (centre), who is accused of running a crime network from Cambodia, amid his extradition to China. Photo: Handout

Asean

Why investors continue betting on Southeast Asia amid global tensions

The region’s young labour force, rapid urbanisation and emergence as a tech hotspot have made it attractive to investors, analysts say.

8 Jan 2026 - 5:14PMvideocam

People walk across the Anderson bridge in the backdrop of the skyline in Singapore. The city state is poised to continue leading the charge in attracting FDI into the region, observers say. Photo: AFP

The Philippines

‘Not very high’ bar: Philippines inherits Thailand-Cambodia border crisis

Given Asean’s policy of non-interference, the Philippines may be better off leaving peace negotiations to the US and China, experts say.

5 Jan 2026 - 5:20PMvideocam

Thailand

Asian Angle | How uneven borders fuel Myanmar’s vast and resilient scam economy

Fieldwork along the borders of China and Thailand reveals how uneven controls allow fraud networks to thrive despite crackdowns.

4 Jan 2026 - 1:00PMvideocam

Aung San Suu Kyi

Myanmar’s junta proxy party takes decisive lead in first phase of voting

To mark the country’s 78 years of independence, the military is also releasing over 6,000 prisoners.

4 Jan 2026 - 2:49PM

Myanmese electoral officers count early voting ballots at a polling station in Naypyidaw on December 28. Photo: EPA

Bangladesh

Asian Angle | Bangladesh needs ‘structural’ change, but how will it get there?

As Bangladesh heads into elections next year, it must tread the challenge of political transition with more care and thoughtfulness.

3 Jan 2026 - 4:00PM

A man holds a Bangladeshi national flag during celebrations to mark Victory Day at the old airport in Sher-e-Bangal Nagar in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on December 16, 2025. Photo: EPA

War and conflict

Myanmar military-backed party leads in election’s first phase by wide margin

The Union Solidarity and Development Party, led by retired generals, won 38 of 40 seats in the lower house.

3 Jan 2026 - 11:56AM

Malaysia

Malaysian forced to scam Hongkongers recalls nightmare in Myanmar

Chew said he would be ‘beaten, electrocuted or starved for more than a week’ if he ‘failed’ in his task.

31 Dec 2025 - 2:35PMvideocam

War and conflict

As I see it | Why China is Myanmar’s only real hope

A general election won’t end the country’s brutal civil war, but regional coordination by key neighbouring countries without Western interference might.

31 Dec 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

Vendors sort vegetables at a market in Naypyidaw on December 29, a day after the first phase of Myanmar’s general election. Photo: AFP

Malaysia

Malaysia’s Anwar says Asean to assess Myanmar after ‘premature’ polls

As Asean chair, Malaysia’s PM Anwar Ibrahim says the bloc will assess Myanmar’s election cautiously to avoid legitimising military rule.

30 Dec 2025 - 8:02PM

Human rights

‘They always lie’: pro-military party claims big lead in Myanmar’s disputed vote

The overwhelming lead claimed by the USDP in the first poll phase is met with condemnation from rights groups warning of a rigged process.

29 Dec 2025 - 8:40PMvideocam

War and conflict

Why Myanmar’s junta election cannot hide a collapsing economy

Analysts warn that conflict, power shortages and resource extraction under military rule are pushing Myanmar’s economy further into reverse.

29 Dec 2025 - 5:20PM

A vendor waits beside bottles of oil at a market in Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar. Inflation in the country has reached record highs of about 30 per cent over the past two years. Photo: AFP

Asia elections

‘Military has destroyed our lives’: Myanmar votes in election amid civil war

The multiphase election, which the junta insists is ‘free and fair’, comes nearly four years after it took power in a coup.

29 Dec 2025 - 8:53AMvideocam

A voter shows her inked finger after casting a ballot in Yangon, Myanmar, on Sunday. Photo: EPA

Human rights

‘Lost my future’: Myanmar’s ‘charade’ election dims hopes of diaspora

The junta’s phased election starting on Sunday has been slammed as a ploy for its generals to stay in power.

27 Dec 2025 - 12:50PMvideocam

Rohingya Muslims

Stay or go? Rohingya see no way out of predicament as Myanmar heads to poll

Myanmar’s phased election, set to start on Sunday, is likely to be steered by the same leaders responsible for driving the Rohingya out.

26 Dec 2025 - 5:05PMvideocam

War and conflict

UN says Myanmar junta using ‘brutal violence’ to force people to vote

Many have also been imprisoned for disagreeing, including three youths sentenced to over 40 years each for hanging anti-election posters.

24 Dec 2025 - 4:18PMvideocam

General Min Aung Hlaing, head of Myanmar’s military council, is seen on a screen during a parade in March to commemorate Myanmar’s 80th Armed Forces Day. Photo: AP

Extreme weather

Asia’s year in extreme weather and natural disasters, from earthquakes to floods

From the deadly earthquake in Myanmar to tropical cyclones in the Philippines, Asia went through its share of natural disasters in 2025.

23 Dec 2025 - 3:00PM

Residents inspect the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda in the city of Mandalay, Myanmar, following a devastating earthquake. Photo: EPA-EFE

Malaysia

31 Malaysians repatriated from Myanmar job scam syndicate

The job scam victims rescued from a Myawaddy job syndicate return home safely after intensive diplomatic negotiations and a 26-hour land journey.

20 Dec 2025 - 10:55PMvideocam

War and conflict

Are Myanmar hospital air strikes a bid to ‘intimidate’ voters ahead of poll?

The junta has been emboldened to strike as China, Russia and the US are looking the other way to serve their own interests, analysts say.

19 Dec 2025 - 5:31PMvideocam

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Myanmar

Visa suspension tests US priorities in Southeast Asia

The move reflects an ‘America first’ policy approach and treats certain allies in the region as ‘strategically insignificant’, analysts say.

Why India is losing ground over Bangladesh and Myanmar to regional rivals

.css-rcruog{color:#C79A00;}Video | Police find village-sized meth labs in Myanmar jungle

Asean urged to rethink stance as Myanmar election risks normalising junta rule

The bloc should encourage Indonesia’s approach of engaging key stakeholders in efforts to resolve the Myanmar crisis, observers say.

‘Not the end’: Cambodia keeps up scam crackdown after Chen Zhi sent to China

Phnom Penh signals zero tolerance for scam centres following the deportation of the Prince Group tycoon.

Philippine minister’s ‘premature’ Myanmar visit casts doubts over Asean’s role

Critics say the visit may be viewed as the bloc’s new chair endorsing a controversial junta-led election in Myanmar.

Iranians use Musk’s Starlink to pierce internet blackout during protests

Smuggled satellite terminals offer a high-risk lifeline as Iran’s protest death toll climbs.

Singapore jails helper who slapped, hit and kicked elderly dementia patient

Nwe Nwe San also grabbed the 90-year-old woman by her shirt, swung her around several times and repeatedly pushed her onto the sofa.

Myanmar’s pro-junta party wins Aung San Suu Kyi’s seat: ‘surprise no one’

The military-backed party claims to have won 90 per cent of the available seats so far in a poll activists have derided as ‘engineered’.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Editorial | Regional cooperation led to arrest of alleged scam kingpin Chen Zhi

The cross-border nature of his alleged criminal network required governments and law enforcement agencies to work together.

Why investors continue betting on Southeast Asia amid global tensions

The region’s young labour force, rapid urbanisation and emergence as a tech hotspot have made it attractive to investors, analysts say.

‘Not very high’ bar: Philippines inherits Thailand-Cambodia border crisis

Given Asean’s policy of non-interference, the Philippines may be better off leaving peace negotiations to the US and China, experts say.

Asian Angle | How uneven borders fuel Myanmar’s vast and resilient scam economy

Fieldwork along the borders of China and Thailand reveals how uneven controls allow fraud networks to thrive despite crackdowns.

Myanmar’s junta proxy party takes decisive lead in first phase of voting

To mark the country’s 78 years of independence, the military is also releasing over 6,000 prisoners.

Asian Angle | Bangladesh needs ‘structural’ change, but how will it get there?

As Bangladesh heads into elections next year, it must tread the challenge of political transition with more care and thoughtfulness.

Myanmar military-backed party leads in election’s first phase by wide margin

The Union Solidarity and Development Party, led by retired generals, won 38 of 40 seats in the lower house.

Malaysian forced to scam Hongkongers recalls nightmare in Myanmar

Chew said he would be ‘beaten, electrocuted or starved for more than a week’ if he ‘failed’ in his task.

As I see it | Why China is Myanmar’s only real hope

A general election won’t end the country’s brutal civil war, but regional coordination by key neighbouring countries without Western interference might.

Malaysia’s Anwar says Asean to assess Myanmar after ‘premature’ polls

As Asean chair, Malaysia’s PM Anwar Ibrahim says the bloc will assess Myanmar’s election cautiously to avoid legitimising military rule.

‘They always lie’: pro-military party claims big lead in Myanmar’s disputed vote

The overwhelming lead claimed by the USDP in the first poll phase is met with condemnation from rights groups warning of a rigged process.

Why Myanmar’s junta election cannot hide a collapsing economy

Analysts warn that conflict, power shortages and resource extraction under military rule are pushing Myanmar’s economy further into reverse.

‘Military has destroyed our lives’: Myanmar votes in election amid civil war

The multiphase election, which the junta insists is ‘free and fair’, comes nearly four years after it took power in a coup.

‘Lost my future’: Myanmar’s ‘charade’ election dims hopes of diaspora

The junta’s phased election starting on Sunday has been slammed as a ploy for its generals to stay in power.

Stay or go? Rohingya see no way out of predicament as Myanmar heads to poll

Myanmar’s phased election, set to start on Sunday, is likely to be steered by the same leaders responsible for driving the Rohingya out.

UN says Myanmar junta using ‘brutal violence’ to force people to vote

Many have also been imprisoned for disagreeing, including three youths sentenced to over 40 years each for hanging anti-election posters.

Asia’s year in extreme weather and natural disasters, from earthquakes to floods

From the deadly earthquake in Myanmar to tropical cyclones in the Philippines, Asia went through its share of natural disasters in 2025.

31 Malaysians repatriated from Myanmar job scam syndicate

The job scam victims rescued from a Myawaddy job syndicate return home safely after intensive diplomatic negotiations and a 26-hour land journey.

Are Myanmar hospital air strikes a bid to ‘intimidate’ voters ahead of poll?

The junta has been emboldened to strike as China, Russia and the US are looking the other way to serve their own interests, analysts say.

Video | Police find village-sized meth labs in Myanmar jungle

Editorial | Regional cooperation led to arrest of alleged scam kingpin Chen Zhi