Myanmar

A protester holds a picture of Myanmar military chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing in Bangkok on Feb. 1, the second anniversary of Myanmar's takeover by its military.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar's extended state of emergency draws global outcry

U.S. blasts move to prolong 'illegitimate rule and suffering'

3 February 2023
Myanmar's U.N. Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun told Nikkei Asia the military government is "very worried" about international pressure. (Photo by Kaori Yoshida) 
Interview

Myanmar U.N. envoy urges neighbors to slap harder sanctions on regime

Kyaw Moe Tun appeals to Japanese firms to end activity under military government

2 February 2023
Myanmar's junta chief, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing. The military regime on Feb. 1 announced that it would extend the nationwide state of emergency for another six months. (File photo by Reuters)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar extends state of emergency, likely pushing back polls

Regime says security remains unstable, while 'silent strike' leaves Yangon quiet

2 February 2023
Myanmar's Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power on Feb. 1, 2021, appears to be following in the footsteps of military leaders who believe themselves to be reincarnations of ancient Burmese warrior kings. 
The Big Story

Myanmar's iron-fisted ruler Min Aung Hlaing fights to stay on his throne

Two years after seizing power, the general has undone any progress made under civilian rule

1 February 2023
Karenni Nationalities Defense Force soldiers rest in a jungle in July 2022: The resistance is steadily expanding its control.
Opinion

ASEAN must help reverse Balkanization of Myanmar

Bloc should work with the country's democratic resistance

31 January 2023
Sule Pagoda in Yangon on Jan. 30: Two years after the military takeover, Myanmar can still see no way out of the darkness.
Asia Insight

Myanmar economy hobbled by military rule despite garment boom

Reliance on fewer foreign partners limits economic recovery prospects

31 January 2023
People shop at a market in Yangon on Jan. 24. Myanmar's economy is expected to grow this year, but not enough to recover to levels before February 2021 when the military took power.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar economy to grow 3%, but far less than 2020: World Bank

Inflation, supply shortages show military's failure to regain business confidence

30 January 2023
Protesters walk through a market with posters of Aung San Suu Kyi in Yangon in April 2021: When the people of Myanmar call for international action, they find only disappointment.
Opinion

The people of Myanmar need the world's help too

Efforts to support Ukraine show what can be done in a crisis

27 January 2023
Sunrise in Mrauk U, an ancient town in the western Myanmar state of Rakhine. In recent years, the state has been wracked by fighting between Rakhine Buddhists and Myanmar's military regime, with the Rohingya Muslims trapped in the middle.
Life

History haunts Myanmar's 'triangle of death'

Buddhists, Muslims, central government in three-way struggle in Rakhine state

27 January 2023
Police march during a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of Myanmar's independence on Jan. 4. Thousands of civilians have died as the military government cracks down on opponents.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar military exploits global rifts to deflect Western pressure

Ties with Russia and China offer breathing room as election preparations begin

27 January 2023
A man harvests opium in Myanmar's Kayah state in November 2016.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar opium production nearly doubles to 9-year high: U.N.

Economic and security challenges push farmers to grow illicit crop as prices soar

26 January 2023
The Bago River Bridge project will link the Thilawa Special Economic Zone on the outskirts of Yangon to the city center. (Photo obtained by Nikkei)
International relations

Myanmar military receives Japan aid for bridge construction

Yokogawa Bridge pays local conglomerate $1.3m for subcontracting work

25 January 2023
Services like KBZPay and Wave Money have become a popular alternative to cash in Myanmar. (Photo obtained by Nikkei)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar embraces mobile payments under military rule

Authorities use services to crack down on funding to rebels

19 January 2023
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi at a news conference in Jakarta on Oct. 27, 2022. Indonesia is showing its determination to not let the Myanmar situation hold ASEAN "hostage."
Myanmar Crisis

Indonesia to set up office of ASEAN special envoy on Myanmar

Foreign minister to lead mission as Naypyitaw fails to move on 5-point consensus

11 January 2023
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, left, and Indonesian President Joko Widodo wave to journalists during their meeting at the presidential palace in Bogor, Indonesia, on Jan. 9.
International relations

Malaysia's Anwar makes diplomacy debut in 1st Indonesia trip

New PM aligns with Jokowi on Myanmar crisis, new Nusantara capital

9 January 2023
A fire burns in the ethnic Rakhine village of Let Kar in Rakhine state in May 2020: Violence is likely to flare up again. (Handout photo from Myanmar Army)
Opinion

Broader solution for Myanmar's Rakhine will be key for Rohingya

Truce between military regime and state's rebel Arakan Army has resolved little

5 January 2023
Aung San Suu Kyi in Beijing in April 2019, when she was Myanmar's state counselor.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar's Suu Kyi sentenced to 7 years, bringing total to 33

Verdicts on democracy icon seen as hasty move by military regime ahead of election

30 December 2022
Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi attends a news conference in Tokyo on Oct. 9, 2018. (File photo by Reuters) 
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi to hear final rulings on Friday

Nobel Peace Prize winner has already been sentenced to 26 years in prison

26 December 2022
Rohingya refugees on a navy vessel headed to the Bangladeshi island of Bhasan Char in 2020.
Myanmar Crisis

At least 180 Rohingya feared dead: U.N. refugee agency

'Unseaworthy' boat that left Bangladesh has likely sunk, UNHCR says

26 December 2022
Thailand energy giant PTT recently found itself divested from Norway's government pension fund for holding business interests in Myanmar.
Myanmar Crisis

Thailand's PTT halts fuel storage project in Myanmar, citing unrest

Subsidiary stops oil terminal construction after being dropped by Norway fund

24 December 2022
Punk rock trailblazer Kyaw Kyaw lets loose at The Rebel Riot's 15-year-anniversary show in Yangon. "If you're a photographer, musician or artist and you're given a gun ... maybe you are useless," says the singer. "But if you're an artist, you can be yourself and create positive change." (Photo by Kaung Kaung)
Arts

Punk, protest and secret shows sing 'truth to power' in Myanmar

Music offers continuing resistance to nation's military machine

23 December 2022
ASEAN leaders pose for a group photo at the opening ceremony for a series of summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Nov. 11.
Myanmar Crisis

ASEAN's Myanmar rift highlighted as key members skip meeting

Indonesia, Malaysia and others absent from Thailand-hosted gathering

23 December 2022
Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing is pushing for the electrification of Myanmar's transit system. 
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar turns to small Russian nuclear reactors for energy solution

International isolation brings countries closer for economic cooperation

22 December 2022
Yaiphaba Kangjam, a battlefield guide and historian, poses with a Japanese World War II helmet found in the fields of Jessami, a village in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur. (Photo by Bertie Alexander)
Life

How history is shaping the future in Nagaland

Remote region on India-Myanmar border hones efforts to attract international tourism

21 December 2022
A U.N. committee has decided to keep Kyaw Moe Tun in his seat as Myanmar's ambassador for the time being, according to sources.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar regime fails to unseat pro-resistance UN ambassador

Moscow stops short of backing removal of Kyaw Moe Tun as committee defers decision

14 December 2022