Myanmar Supreme Court agrees to hear some Suu Kyi appeals
April 19, 2023 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s Supreme Court agreed on Wednesday to hear appeals of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi's convictions and requests for reduced sentences in several cases in which she was charged with corruption, election fraud and violating the official secrets act, a legal official said.
Myanmar army rulers free 3,000 prisoners in holiday gesture
April 17, 2023 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military government on Monday granted amnesty to more than 3,000 prisoners to mark the traditional lunar New Year holiday, but it wasn’t immediately clear if those released included the thousands of political detainees locked up for opposing army rule.
Myanmar junta dissolves Suu Kyi’s party, much of opposition
March 29, 2023 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military government took another major step in its ongoing campaign to cripple its political opponents on Wednesday, dissolving dozens of opposition parties including that of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi for failing to meet a registration deadline ahead of elections.
Myanmar army killed 17 people in 2 villages, residents say
March 7, 2023 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Soldiers in Myanmar rampaged through several villages, raping, beheading and killing at least 17 people, residents said, in the latest of what critics of the ruling military say are a series of war crimes since the army seized power two years ago.
Malaysia’s Anwar urges ASEAN to speak up on Myanmar violence
March 2, 2023 GMTMANILA, Philippines (AP) — Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to speak up and hold Myanmar's military leaders accountable for blatant human rights violations, but said the country should remain in the regional bloc.
Suu Kyi’s lawyers unable to meet with her to plan appeals
March 1, 2023 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Lawyers for ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is serving a 33-year prison sentence on what are widely seen as contrived charges, have been denied meetings with her as they prepare her appeals, legal officials familiar with her situation said.
EU slaps sanctions on 9 more top Myanmar officials
February 20, 2023 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union announced Monday that it has imposed sanctions on nine officials in Myanmar and seven entities, including government departments and companies, linked to rising violence, human rights abuses and security threats.
Myanmar’s military rulers to let ‘loyal’ citizens carry guns
February 14, 2023 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar's military government plans to allow people who are “loyal to the nation,” including government employees and retired military personnel, to carry licensed firearms, but they must comply with orders from local authorities to participate in security and law enforcement actions, the military and media reports said.
How Myanmar is faring 2 years after army ousted Suu Kyi
February 1, 2023 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Two years after Myanmar’s generals ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government, thousands of people have died in civil conflict and many more have been forced from their homes in a dire humanitarian crisis.
UN expert: Myanmar junta will seek legitimacy in `sham’ vote
January 31, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The independent U.N. special investigator on Myanmar warned Tuesday that the country’s military rulers plan to seek legitimacy by orchestrating a “sham” election this year and urged all countries to reject the illegal and “farcical" vote.
Myanmar’s military government enacts new political party law
January 28, 2023 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military-controlled government has enacted a new law on registration of political parties that will make it difficult for opposition groups to mount a serious challenge to army-backed candidates in a general election set to take place later this year.
Myanmar opium cultivation surged 33% amid violence, UN finds
January 27, 2023 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — The production of opium in Myanmar has flourished since the military's seizure of power, with the cultivation of poppies up by a third in the past year as eradication efforts have dropped off and the faltering economy has led more people toward the drug trade, according to a United Nations report released Thursday.
Relief groups say 5 die as Myanmar airstrikes hit churches
January 14, 2023 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Airstrikes by Myanmar’s military on two villages inhabited largely by ethnic Karen killed five civilians, including a mother and her 2-year-old daughter, and destroyed two churches, two relief organizations said Friday.
UN chief: Rule of law risks becoming `Rule of Lawlessness’
January 13, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Thursday that the rule of law is at grave risk of becoming “the Rule of Lawlessness,” pointing to a host of unlawful actions across the globe from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and coups in Africa’s Sahel region to North Korea’s illegal nuclear weapons program and Afghanistan’s unprecedented attacks on women’s and girls’ rights.
Myanmar army leader touts election plan on Independence Day
January 4, 2023 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s ruling military leader pardoned over 7,000 prisoners, including some political detainees, and detailed plans for an election later this year during a ceremony Wednesday marking the 75th anniversary of independence from Britain.
Court in Myanmar again finds Suu Kyi guilty of corruption
December 30, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted the country’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi of corruption Friday, sentencing her to seven years in prison in the last of a string of criminal cases against her, a legal official said.
UN council adopts resolution urging end to Myanmar violence
December 22, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council approved its first-ever resolution on Myanmar on Wednesday, demanding an immediate end to violence in the Southeast Asian nation and urging its military rulers to release all “arbitrarily detained” prisoners including ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and to restore democratic institutions.
Myanmar military accuses opponents of bombing ferry boat
December 19, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s army on Monday accused opponents of the military-imposed government of responsibility for an explosion that injured 17 people on a ferry boat in the country’s largest city, Yangon.
UN rejects seats for Myanmar junta, Taliban, Libya’s east
December 16, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly on Friday rejected attempts by Myanmar’s military junta, Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, and Libya’s rival eastern-based government to take their country’s seats at the United Nations.
Diplomats: UN blocks Myanmar military from taking UN seat
December 15, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — A key U.N. committee has again blocked Myanmar’s military junta from taking the country’s seat at the United Nations, two well-informed U.N. diplomats said Wednesday.
The General Assembly’s credentials committee met Monday and deferred action on the junta’s request, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity before a formal announcement likely later this week.
UN human rights chief decries new Myanmar death sentences
December 3, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar's military-installed government has sentenced more critics to death, bringing the total to 139, and is using capital punishment as a tool to crush opposition, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights said Friday.
Australian jailed in Myanmar applauded in Parliament
December 1, 2022 GMTCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Sean Turnell, an Australian economist who spent almost two years imprisoned in Myanmar, received a hero’s welcome Thursday at Australia’s Parliament House where lawmakers rose in a standing ovation and the prime minister praised his courage, optimism and resilience.
Myanmar releases 4 foreigners in broad prisoner amnesty
November 18, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar's military-controlled government released an Australian academic, a Japanese filmmaker, an ex-British diplomat and an American on Thursday as part of a broad prisoner amnesty that also freed many local citizens held for protesting the army takeover.
EU targets 19 more Myanmar officials with sanctions
November 8, 2022 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Tuesday imposed sanctions on several senior officials and armed forces officers in Myanmar, where a military takeover last year set off violence that threatens to destabilize other parts of Southeast Asia.
Myanmar court gives ex-lawmaker 173-year prison term
November 2, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — A court in military-ruled Myanmar has found a former lawmaker from ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s party guilty of terrorism and given him a 148-year prison sentence, which added to previous convictions extends his total prison term to 173 years, a person familiar with the case said Wednesday.
Ethnic group says Myanmar air attack kills 80 at celebration
October 25, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Air strikes by Myanmar’s military killed as many as 80 people, including singers and musicians, attending an anniversary celebration of the Kachin ethnic minority’s main political organization, members of the group and a rescue worker said Monday.
Ataques aéreos del Ejército de Myanmar matan a decenas
October 24, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Ataques aéreos del Ejército de Myanmar mataron a más de 60 personas que asistían a la celebración del aniversario de la principal organización política de la minoría étnica Kachin, dijeron el lunes miembros del grupo y un socorrista.
Myanmar villagers say army beheaded high school teacher
October 21, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — The decapitated body of a high school teacher was left on grotesque display at a school in central Myanmar after he was detained and killed by the military, witnesses said Thursday, marking the latest of many abuses alleged as the army tries to crush opposition to military rule.
Myanmar court says Suu Kyi’s last corruption trial to go on
October 18, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — A court in military-ruled Myanmar ruled Tuesday that the last trial for corruption of the country’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi will go ahead after finding that state prosecutors submitted enough evidence to sustain her indictment.
Toyota begins making cars in Myanmar after delay due to coup
October 12, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. has begun assembling autos in Myanmar after a more than yearlong delay following a military takeover in February 2021.
The factory in the Thilawa Special Economic Zone, outside the country’s biggest city, Yangon, is owned by Toyota and its trading arm, Toyota Tsusho.
Graft convictions extend Suu Kyi’s prison term to 26 years
October 12, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted the country’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi on two more corruption charges Wednesday, with two three-year sentences to be served concurrently, adding to previous convictions that now leave her with a 26-year total prison term, a legal official said.
Suu Kyi convicted again, Australian economist gets 3 years
September 29, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted former leader Aung San Suu Kyi in another criminal case Thursday and sentenced Australian economist Sean Turnell to three years in prison for violating Myanmar’s official secrets act, a legal official said.
UN speeches end with silence from Myanmar, Afghanistan
September 26, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — For the second straight year, Afghanistan and Myanmar were silent at the U.N. General Assembly's leaders' meeting, which ended Monday with no representative of either government stepping forward to talk as the United Nations tries to resolve who should represent them.
Retired senior army officer shot dead by Myanmar guerrrilla
September 25, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — A retired high-ranking officer in Myanmar’s military was shot dead at his home in the country’s biggest city, Yangon, in the latest such killing attributed to militants opposed to army rule.
Witnesses: Myanmar air attack kills 13, including 7 children
September 20, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Government helicopters have attacked a school and village in north-central Myanmar, killing at least 13 people including seven children, a school administrator and an aid worker said Monday.
Myanmar court sentences journalist to 3 years in prison
September 15, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — A court in military-ruled Myanmar sentenced a freelance journalist associated with the international broadcaster BBC to three years in prison with labor on Thursday after she was found guilty of incitement, a legal official said.
UN envoy says won’t visit Myanmar if she can’t see Suu Kyi
September 5, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — The United Nations special envoy on Myanmar declared Monday that she will not visit the Southeast Asia nation again unless its military government allows her to meet with ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myanmar court convicts Suu Kyi of vote fraud, adds jail time
September 2, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — A court in Myanmar on Friday sentenced ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to three years’ imprisonment with labor after finding her guilty of election fraud, adding more jail time to the 17 years she is already serving for other offenses prosecuted by the military government.
UN: Myanmar’s ruler open to UN visit to Suu Kyi but not now
August 18, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The head of Myanmar’s military-installed government “expressed openness to arranging a meeting at the right time” between U.N. special envoy Noeleen Heyzer and the country’s imprisoned former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the United Nations said Thursday.
Myanmar’s Suu Kyi testifies in her official secrets case
August 18, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi testified Thursday in a prison courtroom in the capital for the first time in her official secrets case, a legal official said.
Suu Kyi, who has been detained since the military ousted her government last year, is being tried in Naypyitaw with Australian economist Sean Turnell and three former Cabinet members on the same charge, which is punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
UN envoy tells Myanmar general: End violence, seek democracy
August 17, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — The U.N. special envoy for Myanmar, Noeleen Heyzer, met Wednesday with the head of its military-installed government and called on him to urgently halt all violence, support a political path back to civilian rule and democracy, and allow the country’s imprisoned former leader Aung San Suu Kyi to return home and to meet with her.
UN envoy travels to strife-torn Myanmar for the first time
August 16, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. special envoy for Myanmar traveled to the Southeast Asian nation on Monday for the first time since she was appointed to the post last October.
Myanmar court convicts Suu Kyi on more corruption charges
August 15, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted the country’s ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, on more corruption charges on Monday, adding six years to her earlier 11-year prison sentence, a legal official said.
Australian academic detained in Myanmar testifies at trial
August 11, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — An Australian academic who is being tried with ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on charges of violating the country’s official secrets law testified in court for the first time on Thursday, a legal official said.
SE Asian nations criticize Myanmar, but weaker than expected
August 5, 2022 GMTPHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Southeast Asian foreign ministers issued a joint statement Friday after a series of meetings in the Cambodian capital criticizing Myanmar for its lack of progress in ending violence there, but with weaker language than several countries had hoped for.
Myanmar charges Japanese journalist with spreading fake news
August 4, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — A Japanese video journalist detained in Myanmar while covering a brief pro-democracy march has been charged with violating a law against spreading false or alarming news, the Southeast Asian country’s military government announced Thursday.
Friends of Japanese journalist demand his release in Myanmar
August 3, 2022 GMTTOKYO (AP) — Friends of Toru Kubota, a Japanese journalist detained in military-ruled Myanmar while covering a protest, called for his immediate release Wednesday and an online petition has collected more than 41,000 signatures.
Russia’s foreign minister makes official visit to Myanmar
August 3, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived Wednesday in Myanmar for an official visit that Moscow said will include discussions with the military government on security and economic issues, the Russian news agency TASS reported.
Myanmar leader announces extension of state of emergency
August 1, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — The leader of Myanmar’s military-installed government on Monday announced the extension of its mandate to rule for another six months in preparation for an election it has said will be held next year.
Japanese video journalist detained at Myanmar protest march
August 1, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — A Japanese video journalist has been detained by security forces in Myanmar while covering a protest against military rule in the country’s largest city, pro-democracy activists said Sunday.
Myanmar executions of 4 activists spur global outrage
July 26, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — International outrage over Myanmar's execution of four political prisoners intensified Tuesday with grassroots protests and strong condemnation from world governments, as well as fears the hangings could derail nascent attempts to bring an end to the violence and unrest that has beset the Southeast Asian nation since the military seized power last year.
Myanmar court rules Suu Kyi bribery trial can continue
July 25, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — A court in military-ruled Myanmar ruled Monday that there is sufficient evidence for the bribery trial of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to continue, a legal official said.
Myanmar’s economy fragile as fighting, inflation hit poor
July 21, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Army-ruled Myanmar’s economy remains fragile as civil strife, inflation and onerous policy decisions add to troubles facing farmers and businesses, reports by the World Bank and other experts said Thursday.
Protests in Myanmar mark founder’s 75th death anniversary
July 20, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Scattered pro-democracy rallies were held across military-ruled Myanmar on Tuesday to mark the 75th anniversary of the assassination of the independence hero and father of the country’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was ousted in last year’s military takeover.
Myanmar’s Suu Kyi testifies in election fraud trial
July 15, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi denied the accusations in an election fraud charge against her when she testified for the first time on the case Friday at the prison court in the capital Naypyitaw, a legal official said.
Brother of Myanmar’s Suu Kyi seeks share of family property
June 27, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s Supreme Court heard final arguments on Monday in a long-running, bitter dispute between the country’s ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and her estranged elder brother over the property where she was held under house arrest for 15 years.
Myanmar says Suu Kyi held alone in new prison quarters
June 23, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military government on Thursday confirmed that ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been moved to a prison compound in quarters separate from other detainees.
UN expert: Myanmar’s pledge for clean polls ‘preposterous’
June 23, 2022 GMTKUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Military-ruled Myanmar's promise of free and fair elections next year is “preposterous,” a U.N. expert said Thursday as he warned the international community not to fall for the army regime's propaganda to legitimize its rule.
Myanmar’s Suu Kyi moved from secret location to prison
June 23, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi was transferred Wednesday from a secret detention location to a prison in the country’s capital, legal officials familiar with her case said. Her ongoing court cases will be tried at a new facility constructed in the prison compound, they said.
Myanmar minister joins Southeast Asian defense meeting
June 22, 2022 GMTPHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Myanmar’s defense minister, under sanctions from the United States, Britain and other countries for abuses committed by his country’s military, was welcomed Wednesday to an annual meeting with his counterparts in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.