Myanmar

Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrives at court in 2021. Lai could face life in prison on national security charges. 
International relations

Asian countries top list for worst jailers of journalists: report

Committee to Protect Journalists says imprisoned reporters at global record

14 December 2022
Casino financiers have been moving out of Macao in recent years, initially into Cambodia and later along Thailand's borders with Laos and Myanmar, creating countless unregulated operations beyond any rule of law. 
Asia Insight

Chinese underworld floods to Thailand-Myanmar river border

Macao squeeze spawns new gambling and trafficking hubs akin to 'penal colonies'

13 December 2022
A coffee shop in Yangon, which opened last year, offers a place for people made anxious by political and civil strife to relax.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar's urban hangouts recover as people tire of politics

Young people stressed by social unrest seek solace among friends

11 December 2022
The U.S. embassy in Yangon: Washington is making it clear that it does not recognize Myanmar's military regime.
Myanmar Crisis

U.S. to downgrade Myanmar ties, decides not to send ambassador

Envoy will have no successor as Washington avoids recognizing military regime

8 December 2022
Waterfall jumping in Myanmar's Shan state: Even for responsible tourists, there is a grave issue of principle at stake. (Photo by Sai James)
Tea Leaves

Myanmar tourism -- to go or not to go?

Once-thriving adventure travel sector struggles under military regime

7 December 2022
From left: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Myanmar military chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing and Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Indonesia succeeds Cambodia as ASEAN chair in 2023, but Myanmar remains a major headache. (Source photos by Reuters)
Comment

Can ASEAN put its foot down on intransigent Myanmar?

Time is running out for bloc to play a credible role as mediator in the crisis

3 December 2022
Japanese filmmaker Toru Kubota: "I needed to film a flash protest, during which protesters only have about 30 seconds to voice their opposition."
Interview

Freed Japan filmmaker reveals arrest, sham trial in Myanmar

Filming 30-second protests landed Toru Kubota a 10-year jail term

28 November 2022
The Thilawa special economic zone opened in 2015 outside Yangon, Myanmar's largest city. (Photo by Nikkei)
Myanmar Crisis

Foreign companies in Myanmar bide their time with eye on long view

Toyota makes just one or two trucks a day at its new assembly plant

23 November 2022
Former U.K. Ambassador Vicky Bowman, left, Australian economist Sean Turnell and Japanese filmmaker Toru Kubota were among 6,000 prisoners released from prison by Myanmar's desperate military regime on Nov. 17. (Source photos by AP and Kyodo)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar releases ex-UK envoy, Aussie economist, Japan filmmaker

Freeing 6,000, military regime attempts to alter narrative about its failures

17 November 2022
Stream article image
The Big Story

Asia's scamdemic: How COVID-19 supercharged online crime

Internet predators are often the prey in Thailand's lawless border zones

16 November 2022
The venue for the 2022 ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh: It is time for bold and courageous efforts at waging peace.
Opinion

ASEAN can make a difference for Myanmar and for the world

Southeast Asia must seize summit opportunities to secure commitments to peace

14 November 2022
Thai opposition figure Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit says, "If Thailand had successfully stopped the coup d'etat of 2014, there might have been no military coup in Myanmar." (Photo by Walid Berrazeg/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Interview

Thai opposition leader defends Taiwan, vows support for Myanmar

Thanathorn criticizes Prayuth's embrace of China and Min Aung Hlaing

12 November 2022
Leaders stand for the ASEAN anthem at the summit opening ceremony in Phnom Penh on Nov. 11.
International relations

ASEAN aims to put Myanmar on peace clock, stop being 'held hostage'

China premier vows to resolve South China Sea spats, keep supply chains open

12 November 2022
The Myanmar kyat has lost 60% of its value,
Opinion

Myanmar's financial blacklisting is worth the risks it brings

Disruption of fund flows will hit aid groups and opposition, alongside regime

10 November 2022
Then-U.S. President Barack Obama appears on the cover of The Irrawaddy in this 2014 photo.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar bans Irrawaddy news site for disturbing 'public tranquility'

Military government had criticized the outlet for past reporting

1 November 2022
Military government leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing dreams of becoming Myanmar's president, according to sources close to him.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar's Gen. Min Aung Hlaing sets sights on presidency: sources

Military proxy party gears up for coming election with leadership change

29 October 2022
Charred wooden structures remain at this site in Myanmar's Kachin State after three fighter jets sent by the country's military bombed a concert on Oct. 23, killing scores of people.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar's airstrike of concert draws global condemnation

Western diplomats say military defied its 'obligation to protect civilians'

27 October 2022
With FATF blacklisting, banks are expected to impose additional due diligence requirements for transactions involving Myanmar.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar blacklisted by FATF for terrorism and crime finance

Analysts see designation as another 'damning indictment' of military regime

22 October 2022
Passengers disembark at a train station in Myanmar in July 2018. Railroads can significantly cut shipping times between Myanmar and China.
Belt and Road

China carves path to Indian Ocean with Myanmar rail network

Expanding Belt and Road economic corridor opens new possibilities for trade

20 October 2022
Children are seen at the Mae La refugee camp in April 2022. Three generations of Burmese children, many of whom do not speak Burmese, have grown up in the camp, the largest of nine refugee camps established in the 1980s along the Thai-Myanmar border inside Thailand. (Courtesy of Visual Rebellion Myanmar)
Arts

Bangkok photo exhibit portrays plight of Myanmar refugees

Those forced to live in Thai borderlands face an "Endless Escape"

20 October 2022
The entrance of the Insein Prison in Yangon in January 2022. 
Politics

Eight killed as parcel bombs, gunfire rock Myanmar's biggest jail

Armed anti-junta group claims responsibility for the attack

20 October 2022
Toru Kubota, Japanese documentary filmmaker, was detained in July in Myanmar after filming anti-military protests.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar military sentences Japanese journalist to 3 more years in prison

Tokyo calls for release of filmmaker who now faces a decade behind bars

13 October 2022
Toyota Motor has started operating its assembly plant near Yangon, Myanmar.
Myanmar Crisis

Toyota begins auto output in Myanmar

Launch comes after delay of over 19 months due to military takeover

11 October 2022
Toru Kubota was detained while covering protests against Myanmar's military regime.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar tribunal sentences Japanese documentary maker to prison

Toru Kubota faces combined 10 years for incitement and other charges

6 October 2022
Myanmar Airways International is expanding international service, likely with an eye toward tourists and overseas workers.
Transportation

Myanmar Airways launches flights to Vietnam and Dubai

Carrier eyes demand from tourists and returning nationals

1 October 2022