Current Events Related to Myanmar

Conflict

Myanmar's People Hope Junta Will Fall in 2024

Myanmar's People Hope Junta Will Fall in 2024 The Irrawaddy

Landmines threaten more than half of Myanmar townships

On Dec. 26, Lwang Kham, 12, was injured when a landmine exploded near Ma Ding village in Waingmaw township in northern Myanmar’s Kachin state, near where the junta’s 58th Light Infantry Battalion is stationed, a resident who did not want to be named for security reasons, told RFA. From 2018 to 2021, the Myanmar military was the only armed forces in the world to use anti-personnel landmines, though Russia joined the list in 2022, said Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan, a researcher for the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor, said at a press conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on Dec. 28.

Myanmar junta and ethnic army alliance fail to reach agreement to reduce combat

Myanmar’s military junta and the Three Brotherhood Alliance held talks earlier this week about reducing armed conflict in northern Shan state, but failed to agree to meet each other’s demands, officials from one of the alliance’s ethnic armies said. Because the junta has shown no signs of compromise, the Three Brotherhood Alliance must make further military achievements to gain the upper hand in further discussions, Hla Kyaw Zaw said.

KIA Says It Shot Down Myanmar Military Helicopter, Killing Six

It said the chopper, seen crashing in flames into a mountain in two viral videos, was downed by KIA troops in Waingmaw Township on Wednesday; the junta has not commented.

Junta helicopter crashes near Kachin Independence Army headquarters after coming under attack

Junta helicopter crashes near Kachin Independence Army headquarters after coming under attack myanmar-now

Myanmar Resistance Set to Expand Fighting in Mandalay After Seizing Strategic Junta Outpost

Mandalay People’s Defense Force (PDF) and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) seize junta outpost after a fierce overnight battle in Shan State near border with Mandalay Region.

AA 'Days' From Taking Myanmar's South Chin State as Another Junta Outpost Falls

AA 'Days' From Taking Myanmar's South Chin State as Another Junta Outpost Falls The Irrawaddy

Crime & Narcotics

Southeast Asian Scam Hubs Drawing Global Scrutiny as Reach Grows - Voice of America

Southeast Asian Scam Hubs Drawing Global Scrutiny as Reach Grows Voice of America - VOA News

Online Scams: Thailand Seeks Myanmar’s Help Against Cyber Crime Syndicates on Shared Border

Talks with junta boss occur amidst fear Chinese gangs will relocate their criminal operations to Myanmar’s border with Thailand following Beijing’s crackdown on northern border with China.

China, pockets of Cambodia and Myanmar are epicentre of cybercrime: I4C chief

China, pockets of Cambodia and Myanmar are epicentre of cybercrime: I4C chief The Hindu

Unavoidable Truth: Shan State Tops World Opium Producer

Shan State, which had been ranked as the second-largest opium production, has now surpassed Afghanistan, which held the title of top producer for many decades, according to 2023’s report of the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime. The report stated that between 2022 and 2023, Myanmar saw an 18% rise in the anticipated land […]

The post Unavoidable Truth: Shan State Tops World Opium Producer appeared first on Shan Herald Agency for News.

Economy

Myanmar's Banking Odyssey: A Decade of Triumphs, Trials, and Transformations

Myanmar's Banking Odyssey: A Decade of Triumphs, Trials, and Transformations Modern Diplomacy

Myanmar migrant workers say they won’t pay 2% income tax

Myanmar nationals working abroad say they won’t pay income tax to their country’s junta as required by a newly passed law unless they are guaranteed protection of their labor rights, while others oppose funding what they see as an illegitimate military regime. Myanmar’s Union Taxation Law of 2023, signed by junta chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, went into effect on Oct. 1, requiring migrant workers to pay a portion of their income to the regime.

Burmese city hit by huge job losses amid Chinese factory closures in Dec.

About 3,000 workers were left unemployed and without full compensation following the ongoing shutdowns of Chinese garment factories in December in Pathein, Ayeyarwady region of Myanmar, according to workers on Wednesday. Since the first week of December, the three factories - Haubo Times, He Shan, and North Shore - have been shut down, and it’s planned that some of the remaining employees will be laid off by the end of the month, a women from Haubo Times who was laid off told RFA Burmese.

Ethnic Issues

Myanmar Ethnic Armed Groups Draw Allegations of Forced Recruitment

Myanmar Ethnic Armed Groups Draw Allegations of Forced Recruitment The Diplomat

Foreign Affairs

Beijing urges end to conflict in Myanmar - Chinadaily.com.cn

Beijing urges end to conflict in Myanmar - Chinadaily.com.cn China Daily

China mediating between Myanmar junta, ethnic rebels mainly due to self-interest: Experts

China mediating between Myanmar junta, ethnic rebels mainly due to self-interest: Experts ANI News

China and Myanmar Increase cooperation on Ports, Repercussions For India

China and Myanmar Increase cooperation on Ports, Repercussions For India Resonant News

China Protests to Myanmar After Stray Artillery Shells Cross Border

China Protests to Myanmar After Stray Artillery Shells Cross Border The Wall Street Journal

General News

Myanmar orders mass amnesty of prisoners, but thousands remain jailed

Myanmar orders mass amnesty of prisoners, but thousands remain jailed The Independent

Military

New Year Message From Myanmar: Dictator Shows he is Forever Falling Short

New Year Message From Myanmar: Dictator Shows he is Forever Falling Short The Irrawaddy

Myanmar's ‘watermelons’: Soldier on the outside, rebel inside

Myanmar's ‘watermelons’: Soldier on the outside, rebel inside Dhaka Tribune

Ex-Myanmar police recount sinking morale in ranks

Ex-Myanmar police recount sinking morale in ranks Yahoo News

Myanmar's 76th Independence Day marked in Nay Pyi Taw

Myanmar's 76th Independence Day marked in Nay Pyi Taw Xinhua

Politics

Myanmar shadow govt voices support for China’s Taiwan policy

Zin Mar Aung, the NUG’s minister for foreign affairs, told RFA that her government issued the statement because China “plays a vital role in relationships with neighboring countries, as well as [determining their] credentials at the U.N. Security Council.” Hla Kyaw Zaw, a China-based political observer, told RFA Burmese that the NUG’s statement indicates a desire to foster good ties with Beijing, noting that Taiwan is perhaps China’s “most sensitive issue” when it comes to foreign relations.

Myanmar’s Civilian Govt Vows to Safeguard Chinese Investments

NUG issues statement amid Beijing’s growing concern over fighting between ethnic forces and junta troops on border.