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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

People inspect their damaged home after bombardments carried out by Myanmar’s military in Tabayin, in Myanmar’s Sagaing region, on Saturday. Photo: AFP

War and conflict

Air strike in central Myanmar kills at least 18

Two bombs were dropped on Tabayin township in Sagaing region on Friday evening, with one hitting a busy teashop, local officials said.

2 hours agovideocam

Asean

Myanmar’s criticism of Takaichi signals ‘loyalty’ to China ahead of election

5 Dec 2025 - 6:44PMvideocam

Aung San Suu Kyi

Myanmar’s opium poppy growing at 10-year high amid civil war, turmoil

3 Dec 2025 - 4:59PM

United States

US pauses all immigration applications from 19 countries

The pause applies to people from nations that were already subjected to a partial travel ban in June.

3 Dec 2025 - 10:16AM

Women gather next to an anti-US mural in Tehran. The list of countries targeted in the US memorandum includes Iran. Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters

War and conflict

Opinion | Why China is succeeding in Myanmar while the West has been sidelined

The West’s incoherent strategy is no match for a ruthless, integrated Chinese approach that leverages economic links to its advantage.

30 Nov 2025 - 1:30PM

Asean

Political show? Why Myanmar is again cracking down on cyber scammers

Myanmar’s junta has been under pressure to raid fraud hubs by China as its citizens have been badly affected by these scammers, analysts say.

27 Nov 2025 - 7:00PMvideocam

US-China relations

US lawmakers urge Trump to condemn Myanmar’s China-backed ‘sham’ elections

Call comes after government’s plan to stop legal protections for Myanmar nationals in US, citing elections as proof situation was improving.

27 Nov 2025 - 4:42AMvideocam

People gather around an officially published eligible-voter list to check names at a ward administrative office in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, before next month’s election. Photo: AP

Thailand

Thailand to curb repeat visa-free entries amid rise in scams, illegal work

Around 2,900 foreigners have been barred by Thailand so far this year due to their multiple short-term entries.

26 Nov 2025 - 4:18PM

The Philippines

How Philippines might navigate Asean’s divisions as it prepares to lead bloc

Analysts say the two challenges will weigh heavily on the Philippines’ agenda as chair of the bloc next year.

25 Nov 2025 - 4:13PM

Human rights

US ends temporary legal status for Myanmar nationals

Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem said the situation in Myanmar has improved and it is safe for citizens to return to the war-torn country.

25 Nov 2025 - 5:45AMvideocam

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Sunday. Photo: The Minnesota Star Tribune / TNS

Thailand

‘Half of me has died’: toxic mines threaten Southeast Asia’s rivers

More than 2,400 mines – many of which are operated by Chinese companies – are draining waste into river waters, researchers say.

24 Nov 2025 - 5:13PM

Tip Kamlue works in her fields on the banks of the Kok River, where she irrigates her crops with groundwater instead of the Kok’s water. Photo: Reuters

Asean

Why Asean’s AI ambition may lead to widening economic and tech divide

While countries such as Singapore and Malaysia are ahead in the AI race, others like Cambodia and Laos risk being left behind, analysts say.

21 Nov 2025 - 5:31PM

Thailand

Video | New Thai labour law gives Myanmar refugees a taste of freedom

Thailand has opened its workplaces to tens of thousands of Myanmar refugees, ending 19 years of confinement.

20 Nov 2025 - 9:30AM

Malaysia

Malaysia court charges 11 shipwreck survivors with illegal entry

Rescued after their boat capsized, the Myanmar and Bangladeshi migrants face jail or caning, but did not understand the charges read in court.

19 Nov 2025 - 9:40PMvideocam

Rescuers approached a Langkawi jetty earlier this month after saving Rohingya migrant Iman Shorif (left). His boat, carrying migrants from Myanmar, had capsized days earlier near the Malaysia-Thailand border. Photo: AFP

US-Asean relations

What US anti-scam ‘strike force’ means for Southeast Asia’s cybercrime fight

Analysts say the US initiative can serve as a coordination blueprint to push back against transnational criminal enterprises.

17 Nov 2025 - 5:42PMvideocam

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro points to a text message sent by a scammer as she announces the Scam Centre Strike Force in Washington on Wednesday. Photo: AP

Asean

Incoming Asean chair Philippines faces a Thailand-Cambodia ‘challenge’

Manila’s task as Asean chair will be to preserve the momentum set by Malaysia amid a crowded 2026 agenda, analysts say.

17 Nov 2025 - 5:12PMvideocam

Nepal

Asian Angle | Nepal found out what Thailand already knew: digital repression is risky

The tactics vary, from Myanmar’s internet blackouts to Indonesia’s subtler control, but the results are the same: resentment and resistance.

15 Nov 2025 - 1:00PMvideocam

Climate change

Climate collapse: Southeast Asia’s new normal?

With a 30th year of Cop climate talks under way in Brazil, for many of Asia’s most vulnerable populations, the crisis is already here.

21 Nov 2025 - 6:58AM

Cryptocurrency

US, Chinese authorities ramp up actions against syndicates running crypto scams

Syndicates either trick or coerce targeted victims to invest in bogus schemes and transfer funds via bitcoin, ether or stablecoins.

14 Nov 2025 - 1:14AMvideocam

Southeast Asia forced-labour scams

Video | Thailand extradites gambling kingpin She Zhijiang to China

She Zhijiang will stand trial in China for illegal casino operations.

13 Nov 2025 - 5:56PM

Thailand

Exclusive | Thailand’s top diplomat calls for Asean to rethink non-interference principle

In an exclusive interview, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow argues Asean’s consensus model needs reform amid US-China rivalry.

12 Nov 2025 - 9:06PMvideocam

Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow speaks on the sidelines of the 47th Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 26. Photo: Reuters

Britain

Chinese ‘super villain’ jailed in UK for US$6.4 billion bitcoin fraud

Qian Zhimin and her assistant Seng Hok Ling are jailed after the largest bitcoin seizure ever by British police.

15 Nov 2025 - 8:05AMvideocam

Qian Zhimin was sentenced on charges of money laundering and possessing and transferring criminal property after pleading guilty in September. Photo: Metropolitan Police via Reuters

Fentanyl and other opioids

China tightens controls on fentanyl precursors bound for US, Canada and Mexico

Effective immediately, Beijing requires a permit for exporting 13 chemicals, including those used to make the deadly synthetic opioid.

11 Nov 2025 - 4:31PMvideocam

Thailand

China-wanted gambling kingpin to be extradited by Thailand

Thai court upheld order for She Zhijiang to stand trial in China for illegal casino charges; the US Treasury sanctioned his Shwe Kokko firms.

13 Nov 2025 - 6:00PMvideocam

Malaysia

Malaysia boat tragedy reignites concern over rising toll of Rohingya sea exodus

The UN has warned that Southeast Asia risks “another humanitarian disaster” if sea crossings by desperate refugees continue unchecked.

10 Nov 2025 - 8:56PMvideocam

A boat carrying suspected ethnic Rohingya migrants is seen detained in Malaysian territorial waters on April 5, 2020. Photo: Reuters

Video | Myanmar military destroys scam compounds

About 150 buildings, including a spa, gym and a karaoke parlour, were already or are in the process of being demolished.

10 Nov 2025 - 12:48PM

01:01

Asean

Opinion | Manila’s biggest challenge as next Asean chair? Staying neutral

The Philippines’ challenge, given its assertive South China Sea policy, is to keep the bloc out of great power politics.

9 Nov 2025 - 9:37PMvideocam

Malaysia

7 dead, hundreds missing after Myanmar migrant boat sinks

At least 13 survivors have been found and more could be discovered, authorities say, with the search due to restart on Monday.

9 Nov 2025 - 11:22PMvideocam

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