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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

Rohingya refugees sit inside a truck as they are taken by police, in front of the office of the UN Refugee Agency, after being evicted from their homes, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Malaysia

‘Incomprehensible’: Malaysia’s Rohingya return deal sparks refoulement fears

Rights groups warn returnees to Myanmar could face forced conscription, arbitrary detention, torture and forced labour.

30 Jul 2026 - 8:46PMvideocam

Asean

Justice beyond borders: East Timor’s Myanmar case tests Asean diplomacy

31 Jul 2026 - 9:15AMvideocam

Asean

Asian scam gangs snare educated English speakers with fake job ads: UN agency

29 Jul 2026 - 12:30PMvideocam

Malaysia

Malaysian police raid online scam centres in Johor, arrest 335 people

Those arrested include 309 Chinese nationals, 19 Indonesians and ⁠three Malaysians, with assets worth about US$245,000 also seized.

28 Jul 2026 - 9:00PM

An aerial view of the Forest City development in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, in December 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE

Crime

Myanmar approves death sentence in crackdown on scam centres

Junta-backed bill targets syndicate bosses with life in prison and capital punishment.

28 Jul 2026 - 2:12PMvideocam

Asean

Myanmar military escalates civilian killings under new command, monitor reports

A conflict monitor records more than a dozen ⁠mass killings in 2026, over 450 civilians ⁠dead.

27 Jul 2026 - 1:41PM

Thailand

Thailand monastery added to Unesco heritage list, boosting tourism hopes

The Phra Mahathat monastery, the site has served as a regional Buddhist centre since its founding in the 8th century, according to Unesco.

27 Jul 2026 - 2:17AM

Visitors walks inside Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, a 13th-century Buddhist temple in Nakhon Si Thammarat city, Thailand, on July 3. Photo: AP

Aung San Suu Kyi

‘Defanging’ Aung San: Myanmar’s generals wage war on memory

Removing statues of the country’s founding father appears aimed at stripping democratic legitimacy from his daughter, Aung San Suu Kyi.

26 Jul 2026 - 10:00AM

Bangladesh

Video | Rohingyas risk deadly voyages as trafficking surges

One in seven of the Rohingya people who headed to sea hoping to escape poor conditions of the world’s largest refugee camp in Bangladesh was reported missing or dead in 2025.

26 Jul 2026 - 9:00AM

Bangladesh

Video | 500 feared dead in Myanmar smuggler boat tragedy

The UN confirmed many passengers were Rohingya refugees fleeing camps in Bangladesh.

24 Jul 2026 - 9:48PM

02:31

Malaysia

Malaysia’s refugee registration halt risks ‘ultimate disaster’ for new arrivals

The asylum seekers would be ‘susceptible to enforcement raids’ and ‘extortion by both authorities and locals’, an activist says.

24 Jul 2026 - 5:12PM

A boat with Rohingya refugees attempts to enter Malaysia on the northeastern resort island of Langkawi in January last year. Photo: AP

Cambodia

Hun Manet vows to make Cambodia ‘not worth staying’ for scammers

Cambodia has come under significant international pressure over scam compounds, including from both the US and China.

24 Jul 2026 - 11:37AMvideocam

Laos

Myanmar and Laos plan downstream Mekong’s biggest dam yet

A joint study for a 2,790MW hydropower project is more political stunt than power plan, critics say.

22 Jul 2026 - 4:40PM

Indonesia

Indonesia’s AI ambitions test US-China balancing act

Analysts warn joining the new body could limit Indonesia’s access to US-made AI models and proprietary technology.

21 Jul 2026 - 6:41PMvideocam

Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto (left), who represented the country at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on Thursday, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Photo: Xinhua

Cambodia

Asia-Pacific cyberscam victims lost up to US$114 billion last year: UN

The losses from online scams, mostly investment fraud, are at least triple that from 2023, reflecting a ‘dramatic scaling’, the report says.

21 Jul 2026 - 12:30PMvideocam

A Thai soldier walks near small booths lined with acoustic foam used to make scam calls inside a compound in Cambodia’s O’Smach border town on February 2. Photo: Reuters

Asean

Opinion | Southeast Asia must write its own trade rules for China’s ‘flying geese’

As Chinese manufacturers migrate south, Asean has the leverage to dictate terms on local sourcing and skills training.

18 Jul 2026 - 12:00PM

Rohingya Muslims

Rohingya refugees among over 500 feared dead after Myanmar boats capsize

The UN said the incidents highlighted the plight of Rohingya, calling for enhanced rescue and anti-trafficking efforts.

25 Jul 2026 - 6:36AMvideocam

Crime

Don’t buy brides, China’s Bangladesh embassy warns as trafficking surges

Officials warn Chinese citizens of a spike in international marriage scams and the risk of prosecution.

15 Jul 2026 - 5:42PMvideocam

The black market for brides has boomed in part due to China's gender imbalance, which has left the country with millions more men than women. Photo: Shutterstock

China trade

China’s power exports to Asean surge 40% in first half of 2026

Myanmar is leading the export surge for China’s power in Asean, with exports to the country nearly doubling in the first five months.

14 Jul 2026 - 7:00PM

Asean

Myanmar edges out of isolation as Asean steps up engagement

Bangkok talks spark warnings that Southeast Asian diplomats are legitimising a military regime still waging a bloody war on its own people.

13 Jul 2026 - 7:00PM

Asean

Aung San Suu Kyi will be looked after, Myanmar envoy tells Asean

Suu Kyi is serving a 27-year sentence, ⁠recently commuted by one-third, on a series of charges that her allies said were fabricated to keep her out ‌of politics.

13 Jul 2026 - 10:34AM

Aung San Suu Kyi, then a Member of Parliament, speaks at the Low Memorial Library at Columbia University in New York on September 22, 2012. Photo: AFP

War and conflict

Outside In | How AI is changing the nature of war and conflict

Latest Global Peace Index reflects a world progressively less peaceful as AI enables armies to kill more people more quickly and more cheaply.

10 Jul 2026 - 4:30PM

Shahed unmanned combat aerial vehicles are made by Iran's Shahed Aviation Industries. Photo: handout

Asean

Myanmar has ‘a mountain to climb’ to woo 2 million tourists a year

Myanmar saw 4.5 million tourist arrivals at the peak in 2015, but the numbers have fallen sharply since the military coup in 2021.

9 Jul 2026 - 3:45PMvideocam

Japan

Japan weighs Myanmar aid restart to counter China’s growing clout

Activists urge Tokyo to reject the request, pointing to evidence that the military weaponised previous Japanese aid vessels.

7 Jul 2026 - 3:44PMvideocam

India

India-Bangladesh ties ease with visa restart amid China concerns

Analysts say Dhaka will have to be prudent as it tries to secure Chinese investment to boost its economy while managing India’s security concerns.

3 Jul 2026 - 6:52PM

Indian cargo trucks wait in a queue as they return to India after unloading goods at the Bhomra Land Customs Station in Satkhira along the Bangladesh-India border, in June. Photo: AFP

Timepieces

The revival of stone dials in luxury watches

Pushing artistry and innovation, luxury brands and independent watchmakers are bringing back stone dials using opal, pietersite and lapis lazuli.

3 Jul 2026 - 6:00AM

Piaget Polo 79 with sodalite dial. Photo: Handout

US-China relations

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker, June 2026

Chinese President Xi Jinping has met more than 20 world leaders this year, reflecting Beijing’s increasing global influence.

1 Jul 2026 - 11:36AM

Hong Kong economy

New Asean Chamber of Commerce launched in Hong Kong will ‘fulfil long-felt need’

New business group launched at the South China Morning Post’s GBA-Asean Summit 2026.

30 Jun 2026 - 7:46PM

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Myanmar

‘Incomprehensible’: Malaysia’s Rohingya return deal sparks refoulement fears

Rights groups warn returnees to Myanmar could face forced conscription, arbitrary detention, torture and forced labour.

Justice beyond borders: East Timor’s Myanmar case tests Asean diplomacy

Asian scam gangs snare educated English speakers with fake job ads: UN agency

Malaysian police raid online scam centres in Johor, arrest 335 people

Those arrested include 309 Chinese nationals, 19 Indonesians and ⁠three Malaysians, with assets worth about US$245,000 also seized.

Myanmar approves death sentence in crackdown on scam centres

Junta-backed bill targets syndicate bosses with life in prison and capital punishment.

Myanmar military escalates civilian killings under new command, monitor reports

A conflict monitor records more than a dozen ⁠mass killings in 2026, over 450 civilians ⁠dead.

Thailand monastery added to Unesco heritage list, boosting tourism hopes

The Phra Mahathat monastery, the site has served as a regional Buddhist centre since its founding in the 8th century, according to Unesco.

‘Defanging’ Aung San: Myanmar’s generals wage war on memory

Removing statues of the country’s founding father appears aimed at stripping democratic legitimacy from his daughter, Aung San Suu Kyi.

.css-1f6sr3w{color:#727272;}Video | Rohingyas risk deadly voyages as trafficking surges

One in seven of the Rohingya people who headed to sea hoping to escape poor conditions of the world’s largest refugee camp in Bangladesh was reported missing or dead in 2025.

Video | 500 feared dead in Myanmar smuggler boat tragedy

The UN confirmed many passengers were Rohingya refugees fleeing camps in Bangladesh.

Malaysia’s refugee registration halt risks ‘ultimate disaster’ for new arrivals

The asylum seekers would be ‘susceptible to enforcement raids’ and ‘extortion by both authorities and locals’, an activist says.

Hun Manet vows to make Cambodia ‘not worth staying’ for scammers

Cambodia has come under significant international pressure over scam compounds, including from both the US and China.

Myanmar and Laos plan downstream Mekong’s biggest dam yet

A joint study for a 2,790MW hydropower project is more political stunt than power plan, critics say.

Indonesia’s AI ambitions test US-China balancing act

Analysts warn joining the new body could limit Indonesia’s access to US-made AI models and proprietary technology.

Asia-Pacific cyberscam victims lost up to US$114 billion last year: UN

The losses from online scams, mostly investment fraud, are at least triple that from 2023, reflecting a ‘dramatic scaling’, the report says.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | Southeast Asia must write its own trade rules for China’s ‘flying geese’

As Chinese manufacturers migrate south, Asean has the leverage to dictate terms on local sourcing and skills training.

Rohingya refugees among over 500 feared dead after Myanmar boats capsize

The UN said the incidents highlighted the plight of Rohingya, calling for enhanced rescue and anti-trafficking efforts.

Don’t buy brides, China’s Bangladesh embassy warns as trafficking surges

Officials warn Chinese citizens of a spike in international marriage scams and the risk of prosecution.

China’s power exports to Asean surge 40% in first half of 2026

Myanmar is leading the export surge for China’s power in Asean, with exports to the country nearly doubling in the first five months.

Myanmar edges out of isolation as Asean steps up engagement

Bangkok talks spark warnings that Southeast Asian diplomats are legitimising a military regime still waging a bloody war on its own people.

Aung San Suu Kyi will be looked after, Myanmar envoy tells Asean

Suu Kyi is serving a 27-year sentence, ⁠recently commuted by one-third, on a series of charges that her allies said were fabricated to keep her out ‌of politics.

Outside In | How AI is changing the nature of war and conflict

Latest Global Peace Index reflects a world progressively less peaceful as AI enables armies to kill more people more quickly and more cheaply.

Myanmar has ‘a mountain to climb’ to woo 2 million tourists a year

Myanmar saw 4.5 million tourist arrivals at the peak in 2015, but the numbers have fallen sharply since the military coup in 2021.

Japan weighs Myanmar aid restart to counter China’s growing clout

Activists urge Tokyo to reject the request, pointing to evidence that the military weaponised previous Japanese aid vessels.

India-Bangladesh ties ease with visa restart amid China concerns

Analysts say Dhaka will have to be prudent as it tries to secure Chinese investment to boost its economy while managing India’s security concerns.

The revival of stone dials in luxury watches

Pushing artistry and innovation, luxury brands and independent watchmakers are bringing back stone dials using opal, pietersite and lapis lazuli.

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker, June 2026

Chinese President Xi Jinping has met more than 20 world leaders this year, reflecting Beijing’s increasing global influence.

New Asean Chamber of Commerce launched in Hong Kong will ‘fulfil long-felt need’

New business group launched at the South China Morning Post’s GBA-Asean Summit 2026.

Video | Rohingyas risk deadly voyages as trafficking surges

Opinion | Southeast Asia must write its own trade rules for China’s ‘flying geese’