Myanmar Crisis

An activist gestures as other protesters hold pictures of victims of Myanmar's military coup at a demonstration in front of oil producer Total's headquarters near Paris, on March 25.
Myanmar Crisis

Total and Chevron strike symbolic blow at Myanmar junta's revenue

Activists urge further suspensions of gas-related payments

27 May 2021
Demonstrators in Tokyo march to protest the military coup in Myanmar.
Myanmar Crisis

Japan to let Myanmar students and interns stay after visas expire

Immigration agency also offers reprieve for refugees as coup turmoil deepens

27 May 2021
Myanmar's military has tried to control the widespread civil disobedience movement's access to telecommunications and social media in the aftermath of its coup on Feb. 1. 
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar's parallel government grapples with foreign investment dilemma

National Unity Government says it will not push companies 'into a corner'

26 May 2021
Floods of posts on Facebook, which is Myanmar's biggest social media platform, have led to chaotic situations.
Century of Data

From Myanmar to US, disinformation floods social media

World attempts to balance powerful communications tool with societal freedoms

26 May 2021
The whitelists for internet access sent out by Myanmar's junta, led by military chief Min Aung Hlaing, include over 750 websites and over 450 domain names. (Source photos by Reuters and Yuji Kuronuma)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar allows Tinder but axes dissent havens Twitter, Facebook

Junta whitelists 1,200 sites in shift from internet blackout strategy

25 May 2021
Students hold placards protesting the military's plan to reopen schools in June. They were part of a massive crowd in Nankham, North Shan State, on May 4 demonstrating against the coup and demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myanmar Crisis

As Myanmar school year nears, teachers and students say no to junta

Military wields penal code against educators but fails to snuff out opposition

24 May 2021
A screen shows ASEAN leaders attending an online summit in Hanoi in November 2020: one solution would be to begin a process requiring its authoritarian member states to initiate democratization or lose their membership.
Opinion

ASEAN must be transformed or replaced

A proposal to achieve a more effective and democratic regional organization

23 May 2021
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
CEO Jakob Angele says Foodpanda's focus on food deliveries gives it an advantage over super apps like Grab. (Photo by Kentaro Iwamoto)
Interview

Foodpanda sticks with Myanmar despite political unrest

Asia-focused operator builds 200 cloud supermarkets to counter Grab and Uber

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