Myanmar Crisis

People in Yangon wait to take Japanese Language Proficiency Test on July 10.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar urges citizens to work abroad to ease forex shortage

Military threatens to pull HR agencies licenses if they delay sending workers

11 July 2023
Myanmar security forces guard the construction of a fence near the China-backed Letpadaung copper mine in 2014. Reports and activists now say the mine is ringed with land mines. (File photo by AP) 
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar land mine danger grows as military rings Chinese assets

Experts say regime desperate to offer Beijing 'stability' for projects

3 July 2023
U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Robert Godec, center, speaks to reporters at a media roundtable in Bangkok on June 27. (Photo by Francesca Regalado)
Thai election

U.S. denies meddling in Thai vote ahead of parliament opening

Ally watches for Thailand's next move in PM selection, Myanmar and trade

27 June 2023
The military's takeover of Myanmar in February 2021, and the ensuing policy distortions and violence, have put a deep dent in the economy. (Source photos by Reuters and AP) 
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar's crisis will 'permanently' scar economy, World Bank warns

Wages are falling as unemployment rises under military regime

27 June 2023
Stacks of Myanmar kyat sit on a counter at a bank in Yangon.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar interventions threaten to create 3 forex rates

Military government cracks down on black-market trades to stem weakening of kyat

27 June 2023
Protesters hold up a portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi and raise three-finger salutes during a demonstration to mark the second anniversary of Myanmar's 2021 military coup, outside the Embassy of Myanmar in Bangkok on February 1.
Myanmar Crisis

Thailand-led regional meeting on Myanmar divides ASEAN

Move by caretaker government angers bloc's chair Indonesia

19 June 2023
Staffers of the World Food Programme distribute food in cyclone-affected areas in Rakhine, Myanmar, in mid-May. (Photo coutesy of WFP)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar suspends U.N. access to cyclone-hit Rakhine region

Halt of aid seen bringing more suffering to people, including Rohingya

14 June 2023
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with Myanmar's commander in chief, Gen. Min Aung Hlain, in Myanmar's capital of Naypyitaw on May 2. (Xinhua photo via Kyodo)
Comment

China's dual aims in Myanmar: Indian Ocean access, crime fighting

Beijing wields enormous influence but backing of military government not 100%

12 June 2023
Thingyan revelers celebrate in Yangon: Government atrocities and oppression didn't stop people from letting loose during the New Year water festival. (Photo by Monica Mang)
Tea Leaves

To laugh or not to laugh on Yangon's mean streets

In post-takeover Myanmar, life goes on despite the background horror

7 June 2023
Myanmar's military may have as few as 70,000 combat troops, well below previous estimates in the hundreds of thousands, according to a report in May.
Myanmar Crisis

Shrinking Myanmar military struggles to quash resistance

Active troops down by 21,000, analyst says, as violence escalates

2 June 2023
Indian conglomerate Adani Group has announced it is selling a port project underway in Myanmar for just $30 million after coming under fire from activist investors.
Myanmar Crisis

ESG investors push international firms to rethink Myanmar projects

India's Adani Group pulls out of port development, taking losses

31 May 2023
A former member of the Myanmar parliament trains in an area controlled by ethnic Karen rebels.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar clashes stall completion of Southeast Asia economic corridor

Fighting along border with Thailand drives shipping costs to soar 50%

18 May 2023
A new U.N. report has made the case for cutting off international supplies to Myanmar's military regime. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi) 
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar military imported over $1bn in arms since takeover: U.N.

Japan, New Zealand, South Korea urged to impose weapons-related sanctions

18 May 2023
Refugees who have fled intense fighting between Myanmar's military government and rebels receive aid on the country's border with Thailand.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar resistance calls for ASEAN aid plan as conflict intensifies

Urgent appeal comes as Southeast Asian nations demand end to violence

11 May 2023
Indonesian President Joko Widodo and delegates attend a sideline meeting during the ASEAN summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, on May 11.
International relations

ASEAN urges cool heads on South China Sea as summit ends

Indonesia's Jokowi laments 'no significant progress' on Myanmar crisis

11 May 2023
Officials from India and Myanmar attend the May 9 inauguration of Sittwe Port in Myanmar's Rakhine state. (Photo courtesy of the Indian Embassy in Myanmar)
Myanmar Crisis

Indian-backed port opens in Myanmar in answer to China's corridor project

Sittwe Port, part of a $484m transport initiative, to bolster economic ties

11 May 2023
An Indonesian soldier guards the Meruorah hotel in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, on May 8 ahead of the ASEAN summit.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar overshadows ASEAN summit talks on economy, South China Sea

Indonesia and Singapore condemn attack on humanitarian convoy

9 May 2023
Rohingya refugees gather in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, in 2022, five years after fleeing Myanmar. Whether they will return as authorities hope remains unclear.
Myanmar Crisis

Rohingya refugees visit Myanmar in repatriation push

Trip from Bangladesh a first since violence sparked exodus from Rakhine in 2017

6 May 2023
(Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Travel & Leisure

Myanmar's domestic tourism rises, but foreigners still scarce

Effects of pandemic and 2021 coup still hinder once vibrant travel sector

4 May 2023
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who met with Myanmar's military ruler today, at an event in Shanghai on April 21.
Myanmar Crisis

China's foreign minister travels to Myanmar to meet military ruler

Qin Gang makes first such meeting since 2021 army takeover

3 May 2023
Yangon on April 10: Diplomacy toward Myanmar's regime is intensifying, clashing with ASEAN's official stance of excluding the military leadership.
Myanmar Crisis

India hosts '1.5' informal Myanmar talks amid flurry of diplomacy

Critics say engagement undercuts ASEAN's freeze on generals

26 April 2023
Myanmar fighter jets are seen behind the country's flag during a parade: Tuesday's airstrike has amplified calls to ban exports of jet fuel and weapons to the military regime.
Myanmar Crisis

Deadly Myanmar airstrike heaps pressure on ASEAN ahead of summit

Indonesia thought to be seeking bloc statement on attack; Japan, Taiwan join outcry

12 April 2023
A Chin midwife holds the baby of a Chin refugee moments after it was delivered in a clinic near refugee camps at the India-Myanmar border in India's Mizoram state on Jan. 15. (All photos by Valeria Mongelli)
Life

Myanmar's border midwives deliver hope to refugees

Underequipped teams help minority women fleeing violence

12 April 2023
Rohingya women and children rest on the beach after their boat landed in Aceh province, Indonesia, in February 2023. Many women and girls from this ethnic minority group flee Myanmar and Bangladesh by boat only to find new perils await.
Books

Book review: How the world is failing Rohingya refugees

Kaamil Ahmed's 'I Feel No Peace' exposes prejudice and lack of interest

5 April 2023
Myanmar's Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, head of the military council, conducts an inspection during a parade to commemorate the 78th Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw on March 27. (Photo by Htet Aung Phyoe)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar resistance urges Taiwan, Japan to reject 'sham polls'

Parallel government appeals to Asian democracies after 40 parties dissolved

4 April 2023