Myanmar Crisis

A man flashes the three-finger salute as he passes burning tires during a protest against the military coup in Mandalay.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar's economy, once Asia's last frontier, lies in tatters

Retail, trade and market activity wither amid protests and crackdown

2 April 2021
Protesters gather in front of the foreign ministry in Tokyo on Thursday to demand an investigation into whether public funds disbursed by the Japanese government to Myanmar as grants and loans are benefiting the Myanmar military. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Myanmar Crisis

Japan's 'Little Yangon' community demands action on Myanmar

Protesters outside foreign ministry in Tokyo call for suspension of financing

1 April 2021
Buddhist monks, left, show support for an opposition group vowing to resist the Feb. 1 coup and rewrite the constitution. Right, an ethnic armed group takes part in a protest. (Source photos by KIC NEWS PAGE/Reuters and AP) 
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar parallel parliament raises stakes in fight for ethnic support

Meanwhile, junta announces another cease-fire amid concerns of slide into civil war

1 April 2021
Political turmoil in Myanmar has slammed the brakes on production, darkening the economic outlook.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar factory activity renews record low 2 months after coup

March PMI shows inflation and supply chain disruptions weighing on businesses

1 April 2021
Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, left, meets with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Fujian, China, on March 31. (Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore)
International relations

China tells Singapore it supports ASEAN approach to Myanmar crisis

Foreign ministers' talks kick off string of visits, with Malaysia and others to follow

1 April 2021
Suu Kyi appears to be under detention in her own home, according to her lawyer.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar's Suu Kyi looks 'healthy' in first meeting with lawyer

Deposed leader expands legal team after two months of house arrest

1 April 2021
Migrants protesting against the military junta in Myanmar hold pictures of leader Aung San Suu Kyi, during a candlelight vigil at a Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand, March 28.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar coup, from March 18 to March 31: Suu Kyi appoints six lawyers

Lawyer allowed online meeting with detained leader says she seems in good shape

31 March 2021
Escaping Karen villagers, pictured on Mar.28: more than 10,000 members of the ethnic minority have been driven from their villages.
Opinion

World must not forget Myanmar's ethnic minorities

Largely unnoticed by outsiders, junta is brutalizing people at the rural edge

31 March 2021
A Myanmar national who said he recently fled to India shows a Myanmar kyat banknote at an undisclosed location in India's northeastern state of Mizoramon March 15.
Myanmar Crisis

US broadens Myanmar sanctions beyond military with trade move

Washington threatens junta with removal of preferential tariffs after weekend bloodbath

31 March 2021
Protesters hold a vigil against the Myanmar coup outside the ASEAN Building in Jakarta in mid-March.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar violence raises pressure on ASEAN to de-escalate crisis

Bloc's reputation at stake as key states Indonesia and Singapore step up diplomacy

30 March 2021
Protesters use slingshots while taking cover behind a barricade during ongoing protests in Monywa, Myanmar on March 29.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar bloodbath signals open warfare on protesters by junta

On Armed Forces Day, military tactics against ethnic rebels unleashed on public

30 March 2021
Tha Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Monday said the country was "prepared" to accept refugees from Myanmar and denied claims that he supported the junta's use of violence.
Myanmar Crisis

Thailand 'prepared' to take Myanmar refugees, says Prayuth

Thousands said to have already fled across border, as PM reluctantly relents

29 March 2021
Anti-coup protesters take up positions behind a makeshift barricade during a protest in Yangon on March 28.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar junta's crackdown fuels defiant Generation Z

Resistance led by people in their 20s as shootings of civilians continue

29 March 2021
Mourners attend the funeral of Kyaw Win Maung, who was shot and killed during a protest against the military coup, in Mandalay on March 28.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar junta shamed by foreign defense chiefs over civilian deaths

Joint condemnation pushes military further into Beijing's arms

29 March 2021
Troops parade in Naypyitaw on March 27 during Armed Forces Day, the Myanmar military's most important annual event.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar junta holds military parade with Russian attendance

Despite show of force, army faces myriad problems it has no strategy for

27 March 2021
A newsstand in Yangon: The collapse or voluntary closures of local publications marks a sharp reversal from the boom in independent daily national newspapers in the preceding decade.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar junta crushes journalists, but news still gets out

Media organizations defy ban as regime curbs freedoms, cuts internet access

26 March 2021
Protesters give first aid to Phay Thein Kyaw, a coup protester shot during a crackdown in the Yangon township of Hlaing on March 17.
Opinion

After 50 days in power, Myanmar's junta is flailing desperately

Old tactics of coercion and control are not working

26 March 2021
Thai border guards patrol at the Myanmar border at Mae Sot, Thailand, on March 18.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar's neighbors try to keep out people fleeing junta rule

Thailand fears COVID and financial burden; Bangladesh says it has taken enough

25 March 2021
The roads in Yangon were considerably quieter on March 24, as protesters stayed home and staged a "silent strike."
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar citizens stage 'silent strike' to protest military coup

Residents stay home as security forces crack down on demonstrations

24 March 2021
A Myanmar soldier sits inside a vehicle in front of a Hindu temple in downtown Yangon on Feb. 2.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar's ethnic rebels isolate junta ahead of Armed Forces Day

Military challenged on new fronts after bloody crackdown on street protests

24 March 2021
Myanmar's biggest Yangon still suffers regular power cuts of up to six hours a day, mainly because of the increased demand for electricity following the opening up of the economy after the 2015 elections.
Opinion

Will Myanmar's generals be able to keep the lights on?

Coup may halt urgently needed foreign investment in the power sector

23 March 2021
Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, left, meets Brunei leader Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on March 22. (Photo courtesy of Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Myanmar Crisis

Singapore and ASEAN chair Brunei share 'deep concern' on Myanmar

After one-day trip, city-state's Balakrishnan to visit Malaysia and Indonesia next

22 March 2021
Panelists discuss the international community's options for responding to Myanmar's coup in a Nikkei Asia webinar on March 18.
Myanmar Crisis

Blanket Myanmar sanctions will only hurt public: webinar panel

Nikkei Asia event weighs dilemmas of international intervention amid violence

19 March 2021
Indonesian president Joko Widodo delivers a speech during the inauguration of the new ASEAN Secretariat Building in Jakarta on August 8, 2019.
Myanmar Crisis

Jokowi calls for meeting of ASEAN leaders on Myanmar crisis

Indonesia takes regional lead again after foreign ministers' gathering on March 2

19 March 2021
People line at ATMs in Yangon on March 13. Lists of those that still have cash are circulating on social media.
Myanmar Crisis

Companies in Myanmar struggle to pay salaries as banks stay closed

Long lines form at ATMs still open as bankers join widespread civil disobedience

19 March 2021