Myanmar

Myanmar's military-appointed Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin, left, meets Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh on Tuesday.
Myanmar Crisis

Cambodia's Hun Sen announces trip to Myanmar next month

PM would be first national leader to visit country since military takeover

7 December 2021
A production line is seen at Myanmar Brewery, Kirin's joint venture with a Myanmar military-linked conglomerate.
Myanmar Crisis

Kirin says leaving Myanmar is 'last resort' as it tries arbitration

Japan brewer, military-linked partner both want control of lucrative beer venture

7 December 2021
Myanmar's ousted leader Aung Sang Suu Kyi could face more than 100 years in prison if convicted of all charges.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar cuts Suu Kyi's sentence to 2 years from 4

Partial pardon in 1st verdict against deposed leader, but more charges to come

6 December 2021
Kirin hopes to keep operating in Myanmar after dissolving its joint venture with the Myanmar military. (Source photo by AP and Reuters)
Myanmar Crisis

Kirin seeks arbitration to end venture with Myanmar military

Japanese company turns to Singapore body to pressure partner

6 December 2021
A man holds up a photo of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a demonstration on Nov. 19 organized in New Delhi by the Chin Refugee Committee.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar troops' northwest push fuels humanitarian crisis

India caught between concern for Chin refugees, fear of angering neighbor

1 December 2021
Villagers near Yangon face huge losses of income because of the political turmoil.
Myanmar Crisis

Half of Myanmar will live on less than a dollar a day, says UNDP

Those in poverty seen doubling due to pandemic and political turmoil

1 December 2021
Kirin Holdings operates joint beer venture Myanmar Brewery with military-linked conglomerate Myanma Economic Holdings. 
Food & Beverage

Kirin blasts Myanmar military group's 'unjust' move to end tie-up

Japanese brewer cites violation of venture deal, wants to operate separately

25 November 2021
Thai aid activist Ben Svasti Thomson meets with a teenager in the 1990s, when his Women Against AIDS group organized Thai women to stand up for their rights. (Courtesy of Women Against AIDS)
Life

Activist-diplomat supports victims of Myanmar takeover and trafficking

Humanitarian campaigner Ben Svasti Thomson among first to arrange help

24 November 2021
Japanese brewer Kirin Holdings has been looking to dissolve partnerships with the Myanmar military since it took control of the government in February.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar military conglomerate files to dissolve Kirin beer venture

Japanese brewer had hoped to replace partner MEHL to stay in business

24 November 2021
In an online interview on Nov. 16, Myanmar Information Minister Maung Maung Ohn, claimed pro-democracy protesters are not subject to torture, calling such reports "fake news." (Source photo by AP) 
Interview

Myanmar minister says 'there is no torture' of protesters

Only state-run media report 'true' facts, Maung Maung Ohn claims

19 November 2021
Released American journalist Danny Fester writes on a document at the Naypyitaw International Airport on Nov. 15: Myanmar's judicial system has been taken over as a political instrument.
Opinion

Myanmar's release of U.S. journalist cannot erase sham conviction

Military regime's distortion of legal processes has wiped away a decade of reform

17 November 2021
Travelers at Myanmar's Yangon international airport in March 2020. The country is set to allow international passengers with a business visa to travel in and out of the country as soon as January, and tourists by March. 
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar plans to allow international flights from January

Restart expected to begin with business travelers and expand to tourists

16 November 2021
From left: Myanmar's military chief Min Aung Hlaing, Japan's Yohei Sasakawa, China's Sun Guoxiang and Thailand's Don Pramudwinai (Source photos by Yuichi Nitta, EPA/Jiji and Reuters) 
Myanmar Crisis

Japan, China, Thai envoys diversify Myanmar diplomatic focus

Nations shift from collective path to specific goals ahead of China-ASEAN summit

16 November 2021
Danny Fenster has been held in a Myanmar prison since May. (Family courtesy photo via AP)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar regime frees U.S. journalist Danny Fenster

He is making his way home via Qatar over next two days

15 November 2021
ASEAN wants Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, commander-in-chief of the Myanmar military, right, to allow ousted democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi to meet with a representative from the bloc. (Nikkei montage/Shinya Sawai/Ken Kobayashi/Reuters)
Comment

If ASEAN cannot pull Myanmar in line, how can it progress?

Democracy remains tough goal, as Southeast Asian bloc faces existential risk

11 November 2021
Family and friends awaiting the release of prisoners, including protesters against the military regime, outside Insein Prison in October.
Interview

U.S. ex-diplomat calls for humanitarian aid resumption to Myanmar

Bill Richardson visit with military chief criticized by rights groups

11 November 2021
Myanmar's military rulers are working out an electoral system that would help them win more seats at the expense of Aung San Suu Kyi's popular National League for Democracy.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar's military plots to change electoral system, tighten grip

Regime shifts to proportional representation for possible 2023 election

8 November 2021
People hold placards in Yangon calling for a boycott of products made by companies associated with Myanmar's military government. (Photo courtesy of Ma We Nae)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar's shadow government to issue $1bn in zero-interest bonds

Funds to support those resisting military government after February takeover

6 November 2021
Noeleen Heyzer, the newly appointed special envoy on Myanmar: she has important cultural and geographical links to the country.
Opinion

Myanmar crisis calls for international diplomatic reset

New U.N. special envoy may deal with military regime more effectively than ASEAN

2 November 2021
Malaysia's Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah in late October: He wants ASEAN to call a meeting to discuss next steps on Myanmar.
International relations

Malaysia urges ASEAN talks on Myanmar, 'non-indifference' policy

Foreign minister says fresh meeting needed to reconfirm Brunei special envoy

1 November 2021
Indonesian President Joko Widodo speaks on October 26 during the virtual ASEAN summit, from which the head of Myanmar's military regime was barred. (Courtesy of Brunei government)
Comment

Can ASEAN overcome the 'Myanmar curse'?

Regional grouping struggles with changing dynamics due to 'pariah' member

1 November 2021
Workers at the site of the Thilawa Special Economic Zone in 2015. The industrial park was built with Japanese development assistance, and about half the businesses operating there are Japanese-owned.
Myanmar Crisis

Farewell, Myanmar: Corporate exodus grows, from Europe to India

Japanese companies torn on whether to stay or go as economic growth stalls

30 October 2021
ASEAN this week shored up its relationships with several countries including China, the U.S. and Australia, while attempting to show a stronger stance on Myanmar.
International relations

ASEAN summits bring wins but leave big questions on Myanmar, unity

Bloc tightens ties with China, Australia as 2022 shapes up to be tough year

29 October 2021
A screen shows the virtual ASEAN Summit on Oct. 26, with a placeholder for Myanmar where its representative would have been. (Photo courtesy of Brunei government)
International relations

ASEAN laments Myanmar impasse at unprecedented 9-nation summit

After regime skips meeting entirely, bloc says troubled member needs 'time and political space'

27 October 2021
Aung San Suu Kyi, ousted as Myanmar's de facto leader, is on trial involving charges lodged against her by the military government.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar military imposes gag order on Suu Kyi's lawyers

Authorities fear 'loss of social order' as deposed leader's court testimony begins

27 October 2021