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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

A boy cries during the funeral of Palestinians killed in overnight Israeli strikes, according to doctors, at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Israel-Gaza war

UN human rights chief slams Israel’s ‘mass killing’ of Palestinians in Gaza

Volker Turk expresses horror at the ‘genocidal rhetoric’ and ‘disgraceful dehumanisation’ of Palestinians by senior Israeli officials.

8 Sep 2025 - 7:47PM

India

‘Short-sighted’: India’s realpolitik on Myanmar imperils Asean’s peace plans

8 Sep 2025 - 11:04AMvideocam

SCMP Highlights

How Chinese view US rivalry, Beijing’s deterrence muscle: SCMP daily highlights

4 Sep 2025 - 9:15PM

SCO

Xi’s diplomatic blitz casts new light on China’s foreign policy

Chinese president’s meetings this week with several key leaders highlight Beijing’s shifting overseas priorities.

4 Sep 2025 - 5:23PMvideocam

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin this week. Erdogan was one of several leaders Xi met during bilateral talks over the week. Photo: Handout/Turkish Presidential Service/ AFP

Thailand

Thai Airways defies Chinese tourist slump with global growth

Chinese arrivals are down due to safety concerns linked to a botched kidnapping of a Chinese actor, but the carrier grew in Europe and India.

3 Sep 2025 - 7:19PM

Malaysia

Did scam call centres lure missing British teen to Malaysia?

Anti-fraud activists say the pattern of David Balisong’s disappearance fits into the modus operandi of scam centre operators.

3 Sep 2025 - 4:02PM

China-Asean relations

Indonesia’s Prabowo attends China’s military parade as protests rage at home

Indonesian president makes one-day visit to Beijing for WWII anniversary after skipping SCO summit earlier this week.

4 Sep 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday after watching China’s Victory Day parade alongside other world leaders. Photo: dpa

SCO

Foreign leaders ride the rapid rails of China’s tech prowess after SCO summit

Blazing from Tianjin to Beijing on China’s signature high-speed railway, several state leaders are given a glimpse of rapid and lucrative modernisation efforts.

5 Sep 2025 - 11:35AMvideocam

Asean

Legacy of courage: remembering Chinese diaspora’s WWII sacrifices

Chinese migrants in Southeast Asia helped build a united front and in the process created a new sense of identity in their adopted countries.

31 Aug 2025 - 9:15AM

Diplomacy

Opinion | Why world should focus on what China needs, not what it wants

A needs-first lens will not end the US-China rivalry, but it could prevent the bilateral relationship from becoming more dangerous.

28 Aug 2025 - 8:30PMvideocam

Combine harvesters plough through wheat in the field in Heihe, in northeast Heilongjiang province, on August 5. Ensuring grain supplies and food security has been a primary goal of the Communist Party for decades. Photo: Xinhua

SCMP Highlights

PLA makes strides, Chinese man sold to Myanmar scam hub freed: 5 weekend reads

From the PLA’s advancements to Japan expanding its defence ties, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend.

25 Aug 2025 - 1:13PM

Chinese military personnel take part in a rehearsal ahead of the parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, which will be held on September 3, in Beijing on August 20, 2025. Photo: AFP

Trending in China

Chinese man sold by lover to Myanmar fraud ring freed after family pays US$48,000

‘Lovestruck’ 19-year-old was ‘brainwashed’ before suffering regular beatings and ‘slapping’ which led to deafness.

25 Aug 2025 - 10:54AM

Asean

Asian Angle | What can East Timor bring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations?

The newest member of the Asean bloc could be its most optimistic, bringing a renewed focus on international law and unity.

24 Aug 2025 - 12:00PM

Hong Kong weather

Hong Kong T1 typhoon signal to stay in force until at least 9am on Sunday

Tropical Storm Kajiki will be closest to city on Saturday night, skirting around 500km to the south of Hong Kong, forecaster says.

23 Aug 2025 - 7:32PM

People enjoy the sun at Repulse Bay beach on Saturday. Photo: Karma Lo

War and conflict

Myanmar junta’s ‘sham’ election plan slammed as gateway to more bloodshed

The military regime has unveiled plans for an election in December, which opponents have criticised as senseless amid the civil war.

21 Aug 2025 - 6:38PM

A voter casting her ballot at a polling station on November 8, 2020, in Yangon. Myanmar’s next election is slated to begin on December 28, with additional stages to follow. Photo: AP

International Criminal Court

US sanctions ICC judges for probes into alleged American, Israeli war crimes

The sanctions, announced by Secretary of State Rubio, are the latest steps the US has taken against the international war crimes tribunal.

21 Aug 2025 - 8:58AMvideocam

Aung San Suu Kyi

Myanmar to hold election from December 28, junta says

With the opposition either boycotting or barred from running, the poll has been dismissed by the West as a ruse to keep the junta in power.

18 Aug 2025 - 3:58PM

Asean

Opinion | Asean-China trade pact update could not have come at a better time

Despite obstacles to enhancing mutual trust, revamping trade ties offers opportunities for both parties amid intensifying global competition.

17 Aug 2025 - 8:25AM

An employee works at a textile factory in Binzhou in Shandong province on May 14. Photo: AFP

China-Asean relations

Exclusive | Top Southeast Asian leaders will travel to China for military parade, sources say

Leaders from Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar are expected to attend next month’s Victory Day event in Beijing.

15 Aug 2025 - 3:00PMvideocam

Human rights

Myanmar refugees on the brink as funding cuts bite: ‘I feel so anxious’

Refugees in camps along the Thailand-Myanmar border face hunger and healthcare issues as aid workers scramble for solutions.

13 Aug 2025 - 3:25PM

US-Asean relations

Tariffs and truces: how Southeast Asia bargained with erratic US economic might

Most nations ended up with tariffs reflecting a ‘baseline of sorts’, but not without major concessions – and two were singled out.

10 Aug 2025 - 8:00AM

US President Donald Trump holds up a “reciprocal” tariff chart while speaking at the White House on “Liberation Day” earlier this year. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

North Korea

How a US$1.5 billion North Korean hack exposed Asia’s crypto weaknesses

The Bybit hack represented a new high-water mark for the Lazarus Group, ushering in a dangerous new era for Asia’s digital finance ecosystem.

9 Aug 2025 - 8:00AMvideocam

Vietnam

Opinion | Vietnam’s role in Asean shows promise and pitfalls of regional relevance

Hanoi’s story in the bloc goes beyond economic growth and diplomatic clout; it also shows the limits of regionalism and contradictions in Vietnam’s ascent.

8 Aug 2025 - 4:30PMvideocam

Hong Kong politics

Opinion | How fear became a tool of manipulation, not just in Hong Kong

Without truth and transparency, fear can become a debilitating political tool that stifles opportunity and progress for everyone.

7 Aug 2025 - 8:30PM

Thailand

Deadly Thai-Cambodia border conflict ends with new ceasefire deal

Thailand and Cambodia also agreed to release captured troops and protect civilians, with delegations from China, the US, and Malaysia present.

8 Aug 2025 - 11:40AMvideocam

A tank drives on a road toward Thailand-Cambodia’s border in Sisaket province, Thailand ahead of a ceasefire talks on July 28. Photo: Reuters

United States

US could require US$15,000 bonds for some tourist, business visas

Year-long pilot programme will apply to visitors from countries with high visa overstay rates and deficient screening processes.

5 Aug 2025 - 1:45PM

Tourists outside the White House in Washington. Photo: EPA-EFE

War and conflict

13 killed in Myanmar junta strike on rebel-occupied ruby mine

Myanmar is rich in precious stones and rare earth elements coveted by all factions to boost war chests.

3 Aug 2025 - 6:53PM

Crime

Myanmar jails 5 Chinese for life over human trafficking

The convictions stem from offences including the trafficking of Myanmar women into forced marriages in China.

3 Aug 2025 - 6:10AMvideocam

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