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Myanmar

Latest news, updates and opinion on Myanmar, covering politics, economy, society and the country’s relationships with China and India, and other countries in Southeast Asia.

Capital

Naypyidaw

Head of State

Acting President Min Aung Hlaing

Head of Government

Prime Minister Min Aung Hlaing

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted shipments of vital supplies such as oil, gas and fertiliser. Photo: AFP

US, Israel war on Iran

China urged to boost navy escorts and find other routes to secure energy supply

Closure of Strait of Hormuz has exposed fragility of maritime chokepoints and more should be done to protect shipments, analysts say.

4 hours ago

US-China relations

Can China-US breadbasket diplomacy sidestep tension over American’s arrest?

17 Jun 2026 - 10:17PMvideocam

Russia

China’s Xi vows support for Myanmar as Min Aung Hlaing moves to bridge isolation

16 Jun 2026 - 10:00PMvideocam

Aung San Suu Kyi

Myanmar’s junta says things back to normal. Yangon clubbers don’t believe that

Despite the lifting of curfew five years after the military coup, party-goers still wait until dawn to sneak home.

13 Jun 2026 - 3:31PM

People sleep on a sofa in a nightclub in Yangon while others dance to loud music on May 16 Photo: AFP

Bangladesh

Why Bangladesh’s new PM is visiting Malaysia and China before India

Analysts view the decision to prioritise Kuala Lumpur and Beijing as practical rather than a direct snub of New Delhi.

13 Jun 2026 - 1:30PMvideocam

Asean

Asean at 60: peace, prosperity and polite paralysis

Non-interference bought decades of stability, but now breeds inaction. Is Asean due an overhaul?

13 Jun 2026 - 8:00AMvideocam

Espionage

Beijing confirms arrest of US citizen Min Zin on espionage charges

On the same day China said Myanmar’s president will visit, it said it had arrested the former Myanmese democracy activist.

12 Jun 2026 - 7:59PMvideocam

According to media reports, Min Zin was detained on June 3 at Kunming airport in China’s southwestern Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar. Photo: TNS

Thailand

Thai woman detained after US diplomat found dead in Myanmar hotel

Police were treating the case as a possible murder and had taken a suspect into custody.

10 Jun 2026 - 7:50PM

Asean

As Putin courts Southeast Asia, does ‘Russia need Asean more’?

Southeast Asia needs energy. Russia needs friends. Next week’s summit in Kazan could offer opportunities for both sides.

9 Jun 2026 - 5:00PMvideocam

SCMP Highlights

India’s rise in critical minerals; ‘involution’ and Malaysia: 7 Asia highlights

From RedNote’s advice on ‘involution’ to a refugee’s journey to Malaysia, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

9 Jun 2026 - 3:15PM

A pile of minerals extracted from a rare-earth mine. Photo: Shutterstock

Malaysia

Viral petition to expel Rohingya from Malaysia triggers hate speech warning

Rights groups warn hatred risks spilling onto Malaysia’s streets as a petition to expel Rohingya refugees nears half a million signatures.

8 Jun 2026 - 11:44AMvideocam

Malaysia

‘We drank seawater’: a refugee’s journey from Myanmar to Malaysia

A Rohingya woman recalls her days adrift at sea and the legal limbo that has defined the 16 years since she reached Malaysia’s shores.

7 Jun 2026 - 1:30PMvideocam

Rare earths

Deformed fish in river, pollution from rare earth mines in Myanmar fuel fears

Russian and Chinese firms are also competing to be the first to reach a tungsten mine in a conflict zone, sparking concerns of NGOs.

5 Jun 2026 - 4:07PM

Video | Rescuers ‘in despair’ after Myanmar blast kills dozens

The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), one of the country’s most powerful ethnic minority factions, said the explosion was caused by the accidental detonation of mining explosives.

3 Jun 2026 - 5:30PM

02:18

War and conflict

Rescuers dig for bodies after Myanmar explosives blast kills at least 38

The incident has cast a spotlight on Myanmar’s largely unregulated mineral industry and Chinese investment in the country’s extractive industries.

1 Jun 2026 - 7:57PMvideocam

A damaged building after a blast at an explosives depot in Kaung Tat village, Namkham, northern Shan State, Myanmar on Sunday. Photo: EPA

India

Why India is rolling out welcome mat for Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing

The military leader’s first presidential trip to New Delhi signals pragmatic engagement as India moves to counter rising Chinese influence.

2 Jun 2026 - 8:12AM

Myanmar’s changing ties with China

Myanmar’s China-backed mega dam revival risks Kachin rebel backlash

Restarting the shelved US$3.6 billion Myitsone Dam project could ultimately come down to Beijing’s ‘risk tolerance’.

1 Jun 2026 - 8:00AM

Hong Kong

45 killed in Myanmar’s Shan state after blast at mining explosive storage facility

The village in Namhkam township is under the control of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, an ethnic armed group opposed to the junta.

31 May 2026 - 11:09PMvideocam

The Ta’ang National Liberation Army opposes the junta in Naypyidaw and oversees the area where the explosion took place in Namhkam township, Shan State, Myanmar. Photo: AP

Asean

Asian Angle | Where Southeast Asians really want to live, work and travel

While Thailand leads for tourism, Singapore and Japan are the top draws for work, revealing uneven regional soft power dynamics.

31 May 2026 - 10:00AM

Singapore

Sustained security can’t come from ‘barrel of a gun’: East Timor’s Ramos-Horta

At the Shangri-La Dialogue, the East Timor president cites Asean as an example of how communication can prevent conflict and yield dividends.

30 May 2026 - 10:27PMvideocam

Asean

Opinion | Why the Philippines walks a delicate balance as Asean chair

Manila’s success at the helm will depend on its ability to make the Association of Southeast Asian Nations more operational than before.

30 May 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

China-India relations

What India’s ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier’ near Malacca means for its China ties

Uncertainty over Strait of Hormuz amid US-Iran conflict has New Delhi moving on US$10 billion plan to transform Great Nicobar Island.

28 May 2026 - 5:21PMvideocam

India

India orders new deportation centres days after BJP election victory

The Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has ordered detention centres for undocumented migrants in West Bengal state, sparking fear of arbitrary expulsions.

25 May 2026 - 7:37PM

Thailand

Budget cuts leave Thailand’s twin-sea navy at risk of falling behind

With submarine projects stalled and frigate funding cut, Thailand’s fleet risks being outpaced by regional rivals.

24 May 2026 - 8:00AM

Southeast Asia forced-labour scams

Myanmar’s Wei family go on trial in latest phase of China’s scam farm crackdown

The clan, one of Kokang’s ‘four families’, is accused of a range of crimes including murder, fraud and extortion.

22 May 2026 - 6:57PMvideocam

Wei Huairen pictured at the time of his arrest in January 2024. Photo: Xinhua

Asean

Over 4,300 Southeast Asian species face extinction threat

Tigers, giant catfish, gibbons and pangolins are among the thousands of ‘critically endangered’ or ‘endangered’ species in the region.

23 May 2026 - 3:23PM

A critically endangered Sumatran rhino calf with its mother at the Way Kambas National Park Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Indonesia. Photo: AFP/Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry

Chen Zhi

Cambodia raids sites linked to Chen Zhi, Chinese tycoon accused of scam empire

82 Chinese nationals among 104 people detained in Phnom Penh raids as governments around the world crack down on Chen’s scam business.

21 May 2026 - 5:39PMvideocam

Singapore

Final report reveals truth behind deadly Singapore Airlines turbulence

Investigators concluded it was ‘likely’ the jet’s radar failed to detect bad weather before the turbulence hit in 2024.

20 May 2026 - 3:51PMvideocam

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Myanmar

China urged to boost navy escorts and find other routes to secure energy supply

Closure of Strait of Hormuz has exposed fragility of maritime chokepoints and more should be done to protect shipments, analysts say.

Can China-US breadbasket diplomacy sidestep tension over American’s arrest?

China’s Xi vows support for Myanmar as Min Aung Hlaing moves to bridge isolation

Myanmar’s junta says things back to normal. Yangon clubbers don’t believe that

Despite the lifting of curfew five years after the military coup, party-goers still wait until dawn to sneak home.

Why Bangladesh’s new PM is visiting Malaysia and China before India

Analysts view the decision to prioritise Kuala Lumpur and Beijing as practical rather than a direct snub of New Delhi.

Asean at 60: peace, prosperity and polite paralysis

Non-interference bought decades of stability, but now breeds inaction. Is Asean due an overhaul?

Beijing confirms arrest of US citizen Min Zin on espionage charges

On the same day China said Myanmar’s president will visit, it said it had arrested the former Myanmese democracy activist.

Thai woman detained after US diplomat found dead in Myanmar hotel

Police were treating the case as a possible murder and had taken a suspect into custody.

As Putin courts Southeast Asia, does ‘Russia need Asean more’?

Southeast Asia needs energy. Russia needs friends. Next week’s summit in Kazan could offer opportunities for both sides.

India’s rise in critical minerals; ‘involution’ and Malaysia: 7 Asia highlights

From RedNote’s advice on ‘involution’ to a refugee’s journey to Malaysia, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Viral petition to expel Rohingya from Malaysia triggers hate speech warning

Rights groups warn hatred risks spilling onto Malaysia’s streets as a petition to expel Rohingya refugees nears half a million signatures.

‘We drank seawater’: a refugee’s journey from Myanmar to Malaysia

A Rohingya woman recalls her days adrift at sea and the legal limbo that has defined the 16 years since she reached Malaysia’s shores.

Deformed fish in river, pollution from rare earth mines in Myanmar fuel fears

Russian and Chinese firms are also competing to be the first to reach a tungsten mine in a conflict zone, sparking concerns of NGOs.

.css-1f6sr3w{color:#727272;}Video | Rescuers ‘in despair’ after Myanmar blast kills dozens

The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), one of the country’s most powerful ethnic minority factions, said the explosion was caused by the accidental detonation of mining explosives.

Rescuers dig for bodies after Myanmar explosives blast kills at least 38

The incident has cast a spotlight on Myanmar’s largely unregulated mineral industry and Chinese investment in the country’s extractive industries.

Why India is rolling out welcome mat for Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing

The military leader’s first presidential trip to New Delhi signals pragmatic engagement as India moves to counter rising Chinese influence.

Myanmar’s China-backed mega dam revival risks Kachin rebel backlash

Restarting the shelved US$3.6 billion Myitsone Dam project could ultimately come down to Beijing’s ‘risk tolerance’.

45 killed in Myanmar’s Shan state after blast at mining explosive storage facility

The village in Namhkam township is under the control of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, an ethnic armed group opposed to the junta.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Asian Angle | Where Southeast Asians really want to live, work and travel

While Thailand leads for tourism, Singapore and Japan are the top draws for work, revealing uneven regional soft power dynamics.

Sustained security can’t come from ‘barrel of a gun’: East Timor’s Ramos-Horta

At the Shangri-La Dialogue, the East Timor president cites Asean as an example of how communication can prevent conflict and yield dividends.

Opinion | Why the Philippines walks a delicate balance as Asean chair

Manila’s success at the helm will depend on its ability to make the Association of Southeast Asian Nations more operational than before.

What India’s ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier’ near Malacca means for its China ties

Uncertainty over Strait of Hormuz amid US-Iran conflict has New Delhi moving on US$10 billion plan to transform Great Nicobar Island.

India orders new deportation centres days after BJP election victory

The Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has ordered detention centres for undocumented migrants in West Bengal state, sparking fear of arbitrary expulsions.

Budget cuts leave Thailand’s twin-sea navy at risk of falling behind

With submarine projects stalled and frigate funding cut, Thailand’s fleet risks being outpaced by regional rivals.

Myanmar’s Wei family go on trial in latest phase of China’s scam farm crackdown

The clan, one of Kokang’s ‘four families’, is accused of a range of crimes including murder, fraud and extortion.

Over 4,300 Southeast Asian species face extinction threat

Tigers, giant catfish, gibbons and pangolins are among the thousands of ‘critically endangered’ or ‘endangered’ species in the region.

Cambodia raids sites linked to Chen Zhi, Chinese tycoon accused of scam empire

82 Chinese nationals among 104 people detained in Phnom Penh raids as governments around the world crack down on Chen’s scam business.

Final report reveals truth behind deadly Singapore Airlines turbulence

Investigators concluded it was ‘likely’ the jet’s radar failed to detect bad weather before the turbulence hit in 2024.

Video | Rescuers ‘in despair’ after Myanmar blast kills dozens

Asian Angle | Where Southeast Asians really want to live, work and travel