By Maria Siow With Myanmar in the throes of an election widely expected to return its military junta to power, calls have renewed for Asean to rethink its approach of not engaging the regime. The region, observers warn, should also brace itself for the “very real possibility” that half of Southeast Asia might eventually recognise the […]
Read MoreBy Sam Beltran A visit by the Philippines’ foreign minister to Myanmar has raised concerns over how Asean will be perceived under Manila’s chairmanship this year, with critics arguing it risks appearing as tacit support for the junta amid an election widely condemned as a sham. Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro met Senior General Min Aung […]
Read MoreHis name is not on the ballot, and his photographs don’t appear on campaign posters. But one man looms large over the general election underway in Myanmar: junta chief Min Aung Hlaing. The 69-year-old general has ruled the impoverished Southeast Asian nation since ousting Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in a 2021 […]
Read MoreTHE HAGUE: Myanmar’s military deliberately targeted the Rohingya minority in a bid to destroy the community, Gambia’s Justice Minister Dawda Jallow told the International Court of Justice on Monday. “It is not about esoteric issues of international law. It is about real people, real stories and a real group of human beings. The Rohingya of […]
Read MoreDHAKA: The International Court of Justice on Monday opened a landmark case accusing Myanmar of genocide against its mostly Muslim Rohingya minority. The Gambia filed a case against Myanmar at the UN’s top court in 2019, two years after a military offensive forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya from their homes into neighboring Bangladesh. The […]
Read MoreBANGKOK: Myanmar’s military government granted amnesty to more than 6,100 prisoners and reduced other inmates’ sentences Sunday to mark the 78th anniversary of the country’s independence from Britain. It was not immediately clear whether those released include the thousands of political detainees imprisoned for opposing military rule. The amnesty comes as the military government proceeds […]
Read MoreMyanmar’s military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) claimed a dominant lead in the first phase of the country’s general election, even as the state election commission has yet to announce official results. The initial round, held Sunday in 102 of 330 townships, saw the USDP reportedly secure 88 of 102 contested lower house seats. […]
Read MoreAgence France-Presse Asean will assess developments in Myanmar following the first phase of elections and avoid actions that would “confer premature legitimacy” to any party, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Tuesday. His comments came as Myanmar’s dominant pro-military party claimed an overwhelming victory in the first phase of the elections after democracy watchdogs […]
Read MoreBy Aidan Jones The first day of voting in Myanmar’s three-stage election was held on Sunday, a process decried as a charade with the most popular pro-democracy party banned and up to half the war-torn country unable to vote. In the capital, Naypyidaw, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing cast his vote in an election he […]
Read MoreOvershadowed by civil war and doubts about the credibility of the polls, voters in Myanmar were casting their ballots in a general election starting today (28 December), the first since a military coup toppled the last civilian government in 2021. The junta that has since ruled Myanmar says the vote is a chance for a […]
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