Myanmar

Myanmar's deposed civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been hit with multiple criminal charges.
Myanmar Crisis

Suu Kyi's NLD party under threat to be disbanded

Junta's accusations include vote-rigging in November election

22 May 2021
The Peninsula Yangon involves the redevelopment, seen here in 2018, of the former colonial-style downtown headquarters of Myanmar Railway Co. (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara)
Myanmar Crisis

Peninsula Hotels suspends $130m Yangon project for a year

Hong Kong company and Myanmar partner SPA 'committed' to resuming construction

21 May 2021
Yuki Kitazumi shows the notes he took while in a Yangon prison during an online press conference on May 21. (Screenshot from FCCJ YouTube channel)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar tortures political prisoners, freed Japanese journalist says

Yuki Kitazumi used feather and coffee to take notes while detained

21 May 2021
Win Htet Oo, a Myanmar swimmer based in Australia, made headlines around the world in April when he said he would not represent the country in the Tokyo Olympics.
Life

Myanmar sports stars wrestle with coup responses

Some athletes are speaking out but Olympic boycott looks unlikely

21 May 2021
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi says the Group of Seven will now put up a "united front" against Chinese unilateralism. (Photo by Kosuke Imamura)
Interview

Japan ready to freeze all Myanmar development aid: Motegi

Leading ODA provider seeks leverage for dialogue with military

21 May 2021
Myanmar's junta chief, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, presides over an Armed Forces Day parade in Naypyitaw on March 27. Like Thai leader Prayuth Chan-ocha, who also came to power through a putsch, he comes from a martial culture that believes generals are the best guardians of the country’s national ideology.
Arts

Book review: Thai, Myanmar militaries bounded by politics, power, profit

Sense of entitlement has given generals the upper hand

19 May 2021
A soldier uses a mobile phone inside a military vehicle in Yangon, Myanmar on Feb. 15.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar junta plans restricted 'intranet' to silence opposition

Report urges global community to block military access to dual-use technology

18 May 2021
On May 14, Japan pledged food aid over the next six months to some 600,000 impoverished Burmese at risk of starvation. The WFP estimates that up to 3.4 million more people in Myanmar will face hunger, most acutely in urban areas.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar coup, from Apr. 16 to May 14: Japan pledges food aid through WFP

Singapore-listed Yoma group reports $20m loss; militias seize trucks near India

15 May 2021
Myanmar's garment industry, already hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, has been further paralyzed by the withdrawal of orders by several international clothing brands. (AFP/Jiji)
Myanmar Crisis

Danish clothing brand poised to resume Myanmar sourcing

Bestseller had joined H&M and others in pausing orders after Feb. 1 coup

14 May 2021
Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, left, and Myanmar Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing: Min Aung Hlaing was the first Southeast Asian military leader who reached out to Prayuth after he overthrew an elected Thai government in 2014 as army chief. (Source photos by Reuters)
Myanmar Crisis

Thai PM and Myanmar junta chief stay engaged via back channels

Talks between Prayuth and Min Aung Hlaing illustrate bonds between militaries

12 May 2021
Marble statues of Buddha sit in various stages of completion in marble-rich Mandalay. About 90% of Myanmar's population is Buddhist.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar junta goes big on giant Buddha statue in midst of crisis

State media blitz over project suggests bid to win hearts and minds

12 May 2021
Money changers in Yangon are running out of hard currencies to trade as the kyat crashes to record lows. 
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar currency hits record low as economy fails to normalize

Heavy demand for foreign exchange makes dollars increasingly scarce

10 May 2021
Min Aung Hlaing arrives as he attends the ASEAN leaders summit in Jakarta on Apr. 24: the junta leader at least thought it necessary to be in the same car. 
Opinion

What to expect after ASEAN's Myanmar summit

Diplomacy is about doing what is practical

7 May 2021
Anti-coup protesters in Yangon flash the three-finger salute of defiance and chant slogans while carrying banners.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar coup forces 13% of companies to halt business: poll

Two months of political upheaval dealt a heavier blow than a year of pandemic

7 May 2021
Aung San Suu Kyi at an ASEAN Summit in Manila, the Philippines, in November 2017. Suu Kyi's lawyers have yet to hold a private meeting with their client.
Myanmar Crisis

Suu Kyi's Myanmar legal team struggles to gain client's rights

Trial goes nowhere as officials and police wait for 'reply from superiors'

6 May 2021
An anti-coup protest in Yangon: Photographers put themselves at risk of arrest or worse whenever they venture out to document Myanmar's unrest.
Myanmar Crisis

In pictures: Myanmar photographer bears witness to chaotic 3 months

Young journalist wrestles with whether to risk carrying camera at all

5 May 2021
Chinese energy companies contracted to build power plants in Myanmar have had their projects put on hold, and some are considering exiting the market. (Souce photos by AP and Reuters)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar coup threatens Chinese power projects

Hong Kong-listed VPower under fire for business with military companies

5 May 2021
A Telenor Myanmar shop at a mall in Yangon on May 4: The company is the second-largest mobile provider in the country.
Myanmar Crisis

Norway's Telenor fully writes off Myanmar unit for $782m

Mobile operator sees 'limited prospects of improvement' as security worsens

4 May 2021
Protests were held near the ASEAN Secretariat building in Jakarta ahead of last week's summit on Myanmar.
Myanmar Crisis

Behind the scenes of ASEAN summit, Suu Kyi plea quietly dropped

Bloc struggles to show unity, leaving Myanmar junta chief to slip through cracks

4 May 2021
Members of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy parade in front of ASEAN flags at a 2018 event.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar conflict brings new Cold War to ASEAN's door

Mix of democracies and autocracies caught between US and China

3 May 2021
Cotton from Xinjiang has fallen out of favor as consumers voice concerns about forced labor.
Commodities

Xinjiang cotton and Myanmar jade show human rights pressure on commodities

Ethical consumption trend weighs on demand for exports from troubled regions

2 May 2021
Bank account holders wait to withdraw cash on April 27 in Yangon. The suspension of banking services has paralyzed economic activity.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar junta strives to 'normalize' post-coup economy

ATM and internet access resumes but enduring protests blur recovery outlook

1 May 2021
Pro-democracy activists rally near the Association of Southeast Asian Nations secretariat building in Jakarta ahead of the bloc's April 24 summit.
Myanmar Crisis

ASEAN seeks to bring US and China on board to end Myanmar crisis

Bloc to hold foreign ministers meetings with two nations to advance its proposal

1 May 2021
Protesters release balloons during the welcoming NUG campaign in Yangon on Apr. 17: many people in Myanmar support the NUG.
Opinion

Democratic states should recognize Myanmar's National Unity Government

International support would test ASEAN's commitment to resolving the crisis

30 April 2021
Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, center, and ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi, right, make their way to the ASEAN leaders meeting in the secretariat building in Jakarta on April 24.
Comment

30 years on, Myanmar crisis puts Asian-style democracy to test

Big ASEAN players modify noninterference policy as times change at home

30 April 2021