Page 6 - Myanmar

Myanmar's head Gen Min Aung Hlaing visits China first time since coup

The head of Myanmar's military government embarked Tuesday on an official visit to China, the embattled Southeast Asian nation's most important international ally, for several regional meetings. It is the first time Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing has traveled to the neighboring country since his army seized power in February 2021 from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Myanmar's army suffered unprecedented battlefield defeats over the past year, especially in areas near the Chinese border. Both Myanmar's ruling generals and China's government have shown concern as pro-democracy guerrillas and armed ethnic minority groups, sometimes working hand in hand, have taken the initiative in their fight against military rule. But Beijing is now concerned about instability that threatens its strategic and business interests in Myanmar. China's government has maintained good working relations with Myanmar's ruling military, which is shunned and sanctioned by many Western nations for the .

UN envoy warns of Myanmar's escalating crisis and rampant criminal networks

The UN special envoy for Myanmar warned that the Southeast Asian nation is in crisis, with conflict escalating, criminal networks out of control and human suffering at unprecedented levels. Julie Bishop told the U.N. General Assembly's human rights committee on Tuesday in her first report since being appointed by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last April that Myanmar actors must move beyond the current zero-sum mentality. The army in Myanmar ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and suppressed widespread nonviolent protests that sought a return to democratic rule, leading to increasing violence and a humanitarian crisis. In the past year, three powerful ethnic armed militias have gained territory, keeping the government's ruling military increasingly on the back foot in fighting that has forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee their homes. According to the U.N., 3 million people are displaced across Myanmar and some 18.6 million need ...

Myanmar's civil war reshaped with coordinated offensive by powerful groups

Three well-armed militias launched a surprise joint offensive in northeastern Myanmar a year ago, breaking a strategic stalemate with the regime's military with rapid gains of huge swaths of territory and inspiring others to attack around the country. Before the offensive, the military's control had seemed firmly ensconced with its vast superiority in troops and firepower, and aided with material support from Russia and China. But today it is increasingly on the back foot, with the loss of dozens of outposts, bases and strategic cities that even its leaders concede will be challenging to regain. How did the offensive unfold? The military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, giving rise to intensified fighting with long-established armed groups associated with Myanmar's ethnic minority groups, and sparking the formation of new pro-democracy militias. But until the launch of Operation 1027, eponymously named for its October 27 start, the ...

Kuki bodies oppose proposed fencing of India-Myanmar border, FMR scrapping

Kuki Inpi and Kuki Chiefs Association opposed the proposed fencing of the India-Myanmar border and scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR), claiming these "threaten to infringe upon the cultural, traditional and historical rights of indigenous communities". The central government earlier this year decided to cancel the FMR, which allows people residing close to the India-Myanmar border to venture 16 km into each other's territory without a visa. It also decided to erect a fence along the 1,643-km-long India-Myanmar border, which passes through Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. The two apex bodies of the Kuki-Zo community, in a joint statement issued on Saturday, claimed that the movement of people across the India-Myanmar border is a vital lifeline for maintaining social, cultural and family ties across the border. "The proposed fencing disregards the unique geographical and social conditions of this region, where borders cut across traditional lands and family .

China shuts supply to rebels, backs Myanmar's falling junta in civil war

A year on, rebel forces have ground down the junta, pushing the military out of vital borderlands and making inroads into the contested heart of Myanmar

Seven dead in Myanmar after boat carrying people who fled fighting capsized

Seven people are confirmed dead and more than 30 are missing after a boat whose passengers included villagers fleeing from fighting in Myanmar capsized in the Andaman Sea, a rescue worker and local media said Monday. About 30 people have been rescued from the boat, which on Sunday was carrying an estimated 70-75 people to the nearby coastal town of Myeik in Myanmar's southern region of Tanintharyi from the island of Kyauk Kar, which is in an estuary leading to the sea, according to a villager helping rescue operations. The crowded passenger boat set out from Kyauk Kar at 9.30 pm on Sunday and sank near the mouth of the estuary about 15 minutes later, said the villager, speaking to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because he feared being arrested by the military The cause of the accident was unclear, but the villager said the boat, which normally carries a maximum of 30-40 passengers, was overcrowded with people and commodities, and there were strong currents in the

China ranks worst in internet freedom globally: US' Freedom House report

Freedom House said that China shared its designation as the world's worst environment for internet freedom with Myanmar

Southeast Asian leaders meet in Laos to tackle Myanmar crisis, disputed sea

Southeast Asian leaders gathered in the capital of Laos on Wednesday for an annual regional forum that will focus on tackling the prolonged civil war in Myanmar and territorial tensions in the South China Sea. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit will also be followed by meetings with global powers including China, the US and Russia, which are contending for influence in the region. The timing of the meetings in Vientiane makes it likely that talks will also touch on the escalation of violence in the Middle East, although Southeast Asia has faced only indirect fallout. ASEAN's influence has historically been limited even among its own members, but the forum has often served as a platform for dialogues among superpowers looking to engage with the region. The 10 member states of ASEAN Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei and Laos will also hold talks with their dialogue partners from elsewhere in the region including

India extend unprecedented invite to Myanmar's anti-junta forces: Report

Speaking of the seminar, Sui Khar, vice chairman of one the ethnic rebel groups, the Chin National Front, said, "We are going to send representatives"

UN accuses Myanmar's military of mass killings, torture since 2021 coup

Three years into the conflict, the UN estimates that more than 19 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian aid, with over three million displaced

India sends 32 tonnes of relief supplies to Myanmar under 'Sadbhav'

India on Tuesday sent 32 tonnes of relief supplies to Myanmar in a military transport aircraft under its operation 'Sadbhav' launched two days ago to assist Southeast Asian nations hit by a major typhoon. Various parts of Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam have been reeling under massive floods after Typhoon Yagi, said to be Asia's most powerful storm this year, hit the three countries. India has already sent relief supplies to Vietnam and Laos. On Sunday, India sent 10 tonnes of aid, including dry ration, clothing and medicines to Myanmar onboard the Indian naval ship INS Satpura. "#OperationSadbhav continues: India dispatches a second tranche of aid to Myanmar," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on 'X'. "@IAF_mcc aircraft is carrying 32 tons of relief material including genset, hygiene kits, temporary shelter, water purification supplies and medicines for the people of Myanmar," he said. "Indian Navy is bringing additional 10 tons of ration for Myanmar," Jaiswa

Myanmar's toll from Yagi rises past 200 with tallying hindered by civil war

Floods and landslides in Myanmar triggered by last week's Typhoon Yagi and seasonal monsoon rains have claimed at least 226 lives, with 77 people missing, state-run media reported Tuesday. The death toll, reported in the state-run Myanma Alinn, was almost seven times Friday's initial total of 33, with strong prospects of it continuing to rise. The counting of casualties has been slow, in part due to communication difficulties with the affected areas as Myanmar is wracked by civil war. Typhoon Yagi earlier hit Vietnam, northern Thailand and Laos, killing almost 300 people in Vietnam, 42 in Thailand and four in Laos, according to the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance.

'Operation Sadbhav': India sends aid to typhoon-hit Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos

Typhoon Yagi: India dispatched 10 tonnes of aid to Myanmar via INS Satpura, while an Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft is delivering 35 tonnes to Vietnam and another 10 tonnes to Laos as part of relief

India launches ops to help typhoon-hit Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam; sends aid

India on Sunday sent urgent supplies to Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar under an operation christened "Sadbhav" to assist them in dealing with the devastating impact of a major typhoon. Various parts of Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam have been reeling under massive floods after Typhoon Yagi, said to be Asia's most powerful storm this year, hit the three countries. The typhoon that originated from the South China Sea made landfall over a week ago, reportedly killing more than 170 people in Vietnam and around 40 in Myanmar. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said "Operation Sadbhav" is part of India's broader effort to contribute to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) within the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region, in line with its "Act East Policy". India has sent humanitarian relief assistance worth USD 10,00,000 to Vietnam and USD 1,00,000 to Laos, it said. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said 10 tonnes of aid, including dry ration, clothing and .

Death toll in Myanmar from Typhoon Yagi reaches 74; dozens missing

The death toll in Myanmar from flooding and landslides caused by Typhoon Yagi has reached at least 74, with 89 people missing, Myanmar's state television said Saturday. Difficulties in compiling information have raised fears that the number of casualties may be higher. The new official death toll announced by the country's military government was more than double the 33 reported on Friday. Typhoon Yagi earlier hit Vietnam, northern Thailand and Laos, killing more than 260 people and causing major damage. The new totals were announced after state media reported that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the ruling military council, said that Myanmar was requesting relief aid from foreign countries. Nearly 240,000 people have been displaced, according to the reports. There were already 3.4 million displaced people in Myanmar at the beginning of September, according to the UN refugee agency, mostly because of war and unrest in recent years. In Myanmar, low-lying areas in the ..

B'desh ramps up border vigilance with Myanmar as thousands of Rohingya flee

The new arrivals add to more than one million Rohingya refugees already living in overcrowded camps in Cox's Bazar district after they fled a military-led crackdown in Myanmar in 2017

Two Mizoram teens held by Myanmar militants return with shaved head, burns

With their heads tonsured and cigarette burns on bodies, two teenage boys returned home in Mizoram after being held captive by militants in adjoining Myanmar's Chin state for nearly a week, an Assam Rifles officer said on Sunday. The two boys, aged 16 and 15, were allegedly abducted by the Hualngoram unit of Chin Defence Force (CDF), one of several militant organisations fighting the military junta in Myanmar, on September 1 from Rih Dil Lake, a tourist spot in the neighbouring country near the Indian border, the officer said. "A group of five boys from Zokhawthar village in Mizoram had gone to Rih Dil Lake on motorcycles on September 1. On reaching there, they were stopped by cadres of CDF, who thrashed them because of a previous scuffle they had with some other boys from Zokhawthar," she said. Three of the five boys managed to escape and return to India while the two were held hostage by the CDF, the Assam Rifles officer said. "The two boys were kept in Rih Dil area for two days

US calls on Big Tech to help evade online censors in Russia, Iran

OTF's pitch to tech companies at the meeting was to help offer discounted or subsidized server bandwidth

Thousands of Rohingya flee to Bangladesh from violence in Myanmar: Official

Bangladesh is already over-burdened and unable to accommodate any more Rohingya," he told Reuters on Wednesday

Proposed UN resolution on Myanmar condemns military attacks on civilians

Britain circulated a wide-ranging United Nations resolution on Myanmar urging renewed peace efforts, condemning attacks on civilians especially by the Myanmar military and calling for a halt to illicit arms transfers. The draft resolution obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press expresses alarm at the increased violence across Myanmar, which is engulfed in civil war between the military-led regime and resistance forces. It calls for safe, rapid, and unhindered humanitarian access at scale," expressing grave concern at the deteriorating humanitarian situation and restrictions on humanitarian access in the country that led to rising food insecurity and hunger. The proposed resolution warns that the current situation has the potential to further exacerbate discrimination, ethnically motivated violence, violations of international humanitarian law, human rights abuses, and conflict-related sexual violence. Myanmar's military ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1