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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

Foreign nationals suspected of running an online gambling operation at an office building in Jakarta await transport after being arrested in the Indonesian capital on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Indonesia

Police raids reveal Indonesia as new hub for scam, gambling syndicates

Hundreds of foreigners have been arrested in Indonesia recently following crackdowns against crime groups in Cambodia and Myanmar.

1 hour agovideocam

Asean

‘Tentative step’: Asean weighs bringing Myanmar back into the fold

3 hours agovideocam

Indonesia

321 foreigners arrested in Indonesia online gambling crackdown

11 May 2026 - 11:13AMvideocam

Asean

Asean to step up push for South China Sea code, energy security

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr says the code of conduct is key to unlocking deeper China-Asean economic cooperation.

8 May 2026 - 10:28PMvideocam

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr addresses a press conference on the sidelines of the 48th Asean summit in Cebu province on Friday. Photo: EPA

Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV maker Leapmotor taps Stellantis’ Spanish plant for EU production

Hangzhou carmaker’s overseas strategy highlights how Chinese brands are leveraging idle plants to scale globally while easing trade barriers.

8 May 2026 - 9:40PM

Asean

Asean’s pivot to energy security leaves long-standing issues on summit sidelines

Southeast Asia is one of the worst affected by the global fuel crisis due to its high imports of oil and gas coming from the Gulf.

8 May 2026 - 1:17PMvideocam

Asean

Myanmar could come in from the cold as Asean members warm towards nation

Myanmar has been largely sidelined from top-level Asean meetings since a 2021 military coup that sparked a nationwide civil conflict.

8 May 2026 - 10:18AMvideocam

Myanmar’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs U Hau Khan Sum (left) joins Asean foreign ministers for a group photo at the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Cebu on Thursday. Photo: EPA

Mainland China

Myanmar’s military rulers hire Trump ally for US$50,000 a month to lobby Washington

Roger Stone has been commissioned to rebuild relations with the US, though analysts doubt Myanmar can escape its pariah status.

7 May 2026 - 4:13PM

Indonesia

‘I started crying’: Indonesian captain’s wife in agony over pirate attack

Captain Ashari Samadikun had sent a chilling warning to his wife before his fuel tanker was hijacked by pirates last month.

6 May 2026 - 7:49PMvideocam

Asean

Opinion | Asia must unite to avert an Iran war food crisis

The energy and fertiliser shocks come amid crucial planting windows for Asia’s farmers, exposing the region’s dire dependencies.

6 May 2026 - 4:30PMvideocam

A farm worker sprays fertiliser on a paddy field at Sabak Bernam, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on April 1. Conflict in the Middle East has driven up prices of energy, fertiliser and food production. Photo: EPA

Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi’s son asks France to help him locate mother in Myanmar

Kim Aris says he has still not heard from his mother after she was transferred to house arrest last week.

6 May 2026 - 9:27AMvideocam

Aung San Suu Kyi and her son, Kim Aris, pose for pictures at the airport in the ancient temple city of Bagan before flying back to Yangon on July 8, 2011. Photo: AFP

Thailand

‘Phantom birth’ scam spooks Thailand as hundreds of babies get fake citizenship

Police believe that some Chinese cyber scammers are using these false registrations to launder money through firms they can fully control.

5 May 2026 - 3:47PMvideocam

Trending in China

Ex-China soldier flees Myanmar scam centre, scales wall, masks scent with cow dung

Former infantryman confounds compound bosses with military skills, flees over mountains finally making safety of Chinese embassy.

5 May 2026 - 10:06AM

Asean

Why Singapore, Thailand are among the world’s ‘happiest’ economies

Southeast Asian countries outdid larger economies in the 178-nation Hanke’s Annual Misery Index for 2025.

1 May 2026 - 8:58PMvideocam

People walk on the boardwalk in front of Singapore’s financial centre. Photo: AFP

Aung San Suu Kyi

Video | First public image in years of Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi

Myanmar’s detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi moved from prison to house arrest State media broadcast the first public image of Suu Kyi in years, but son demands proof of life.

1 May 2026 - 4:10PM

01:46

Aung San Suu Kyi

Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi moved from prison to house arrest

State media broadcast a photograph of the Nobel laureate ⁠flanked by two uniformed personnel – the first public image of her in years.

1 May 2026 - 1:59PMvideocam

Thailand

Video | Rare earth mining is poisoning the Mekong River

Toxins pose health risks including cancer, organ failure and developmental harm.

30 Apr 2026 - 8:51PM

Thailand

‘Destroying the world’s kitchen’: the poisoning of the Mekong River

Many millions depend on the river but toxic run-off from mining for modern technology - including for war - could be an existential threat.

1 May 2026 - 9:57AMvideocam

A man sits in a fishing boat on the Mekong River in northeastern Thailand, with Laos seen on the left, in 2019. Photo: AFP

Malaysia

‘Barrage of questions’: Malaysian Indians least likely to be scammed, police say

Despite all races being equally targeted, ethnic Indians lost the least because they would keep questioning until the scammers gave up.

30 Apr 2026 - 9:16AMvideocam

Asean

Will Asean’s oil scramble mean Russia builds lasting stronghold in region?

Southeast Asia’s pivot may be for economic reasons, but some analysts warn Moscow could seek to build lasting influence in the region.

28 Apr 2026 - 7:24PM

Asean

China backs Myanmar’s push to ease diplomatic isolation, stamp out telecoms scams

Foreign Minister Wang Yi caps five-day Southeast Asia tour also urging both sides to ‘open up new prospects for bilateral relations’.

26 Apr 2026 - 7:51PMvideocam

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s junta leader-turned-president, in Naypyidaw on Saturday. Photo: Xinhua

Cambodia

US slaps sanctions on Cambodian senator suspected of controlling scam centres

The sanction freezes all US assets linked to Senator Kok An and his named associates, and bars any American national from dealing with them.

24 Apr 2026 - 5:19PMvideocam

Equipment used at a scam centre in Phnom Penh in March. This year Cambodia has conducted the largest crackdown on scam bases since the crisis emerged during the pandemic. Photo: AP

US-China relations

America offers US$4 million bounty for arrest of Chinese money launderer

Daren Li fled the US after admitting he conspired to launder funds obtained from victims in cryptocurrency scams and fraud in Southeast Asia.

24 Apr 2026 - 3:58PMvideocam

Min Aung Hlaing

Why Myanmar’s token amnesties are ‘no cause for celebration’

Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is now due for release in 2043 – provided she survives to the age of 97.

22 Apr 2026 - 4:18PM

War and conflict

Myanmar president seeks peace talks by July 31, 2 rebel groups reject offer

Of the rebel groups that Min Aung Hlaing mentioned in his offer, the Karen National Union and the Chin National Front have rejected his call.

21 Apr 2026 - 9:46PM

An anti-coup activist undergoes military training at a camp of the Karen National Union, an ethnic rebel group, in Kayin state, Myanmar. Photo: AFP

Asean

Why Indonesia is ceding its role as Asean’s natural leader to Singapore

For decades, Indonesia’s standing was a given. A new survey suggests the region’s opinion leaders are no longer so sure.

21 Apr 2026 - 3:38PMvideocam

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto (right) shakes hands with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong after a press conference at the presidential palace in Jakarta in November 2024. Photo: AFP

Malaysia

‘Some make it, some die’: why more Rohingya risk sea escapes to Malaysia

Dwindling food aid and growing desperation force thousands of refugees in Bangladesh to undertake perilous sea crossings to Southeast Asia.

21 Apr 2026 - 11:58AMvideocam

Thailand

‘Worst I’ve seen’: forest fires rage across Thailand, Mekong region

The region faces a perennial haze scourge, with enforcement of bans against slash-and-burn farm practices remaining patchy.

20 Apr 2026 - 5:36PM

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Myanmar

Police raids reveal Indonesia as new hub for scam, gambling syndicates

Hundreds of foreigners have been arrested in Indonesia recently following crackdowns against crime groups in Cambodia and Myanmar.

‘Tentative step’: Asean weighs bringing Myanmar back into the fold

321 foreigners arrested in Indonesia online gambling crackdown

Asean to step up push for South China Sea code, energy security

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr says the code of conduct is key to unlocking deeper China-Asean economic cooperation.

Chinese EV maker Leapmotor taps Stellantis’ Spanish plant for EU production

Hangzhou carmaker’s overseas strategy highlights how Chinese brands are leveraging idle plants to scale globally while easing trade barriers.

Asean’s pivot to energy security leaves long-standing issues on summit sidelines

Southeast Asia is one of the worst affected by the global fuel crisis due to its high imports of oil and gas coming from the Gulf.

Myanmar could come in from the cold as Asean members warm towards nation

Myanmar has been largely sidelined from top-level Asean meetings since a 2021 military coup that sparked a nationwide civil conflict.

Myanmar’s military rulers hire Trump ally for US$50,000 a month to lobby Washington

Roger Stone has been commissioned to rebuild relations with the US, though analysts doubt Myanmar can escape its pariah status.

‘I started crying’: Indonesian captain’s wife in agony over pirate attack

Captain Ashari Samadikun had sent a chilling warning to his wife before his fuel tanker was hijacked by pirates last month.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | Asia must unite to avert an Iran war food crisis

The energy and fertiliser shocks come amid crucial planting windows for Asia’s farmers, exposing the region’s dire dependencies.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s son asks France to help him locate mother in Myanmar

Kim Aris says he has still not heard from his mother after she was transferred to house arrest last week.

‘Phantom birth’ scam spooks Thailand as hundreds of babies get fake citizenship

Police believe that some Chinese cyber scammers are using these false registrations to launder money through firms they can fully control.

Ex-China soldier flees Myanmar scam centre, scales wall, masks scent with cow dung

Former infantryman confounds compound bosses with military skills, flees over mountains finally making safety of Chinese embassy.

Why Singapore, Thailand are among the world’s ‘happiest’ economies

Southeast Asian countries outdid larger economies in the 178-nation Hanke’s Annual Misery Index for 2025.

.css-1t72pn8{color:#C79A00;}Video | First public image in years of Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi

Myanmar’s detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi moved from prison to house arrest State media broadcast the first public image of Suu Kyi in years, but son demands proof of life.

Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi moved from prison to house arrest

State media broadcast a photograph of the Nobel laureate ⁠flanked by two uniformed personnel – the first public image of her in years.

Video | Rare earth mining is poisoning the Mekong River

Toxins pose health risks including cancer, organ failure and developmental harm.

‘Destroying the world’s kitchen’: the poisoning of the Mekong River

Many millions depend on the river but toxic run-off from mining for modern technology - including for war - could be an existential threat.

‘Barrage of questions’: Malaysian Indians least likely to be scammed, police say

Despite all races being equally targeted, ethnic Indians lost the least because they would keep questioning until the scammers gave up.

Will Asean’s oil scramble mean Russia builds lasting stronghold in region?

Southeast Asia’s pivot may be for economic reasons, but some analysts warn Moscow could seek to build lasting influence in the region.

China backs Myanmar’s push to ease diplomatic isolation, stamp out telecoms scams

Foreign Minister Wang Yi caps five-day Southeast Asia tour also urging both sides to ‘open up new prospects for bilateral relations’.

US slaps sanctions on Cambodian senator suspected of controlling scam centres

The sanction freezes all US assets linked to Senator Kok An and his named associates, and bars any American national from dealing with them.

America offers US$4 million bounty for arrest of Chinese money launderer

Daren Li fled the US after admitting he conspired to launder funds obtained from victims in cryptocurrency scams and fraud in Southeast Asia.

Why Myanmar’s token amnesties are ‘no cause for celebration’

Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is now due for release in 2043 – provided she survives to the age of 97.

Myanmar president seeks peace talks by July 31, 2 rebel groups reject offer

Of the rebel groups that Min Aung Hlaing mentioned in his offer, the Karen National Union and the Chin National Front have rejected his call.

Why Indonesia is ceding its role as Asean’s natural leader to Singapore

For decades, Indonesia’s standing was a given. A new survey suggests the region’s opinion leaders are no longer so sure.

‘Some make it, some die’: why more Rohingya risk sea escapes to Malaysia

Dwindling food aid and growing desperation force thousands of refugees in Bangladesh to undertake perilous sea crossings to Southeast Asia.

‘Worst I’ve seen’: forest fires rage across Thailand, Mekong region

The region faces a perennial haze scourge, with enforcement of bans against slash-and-burn farm practices remaining patchy.

Opinion | Asia must unite to avert an Iran war food crisis

Video | First public image in years of Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi