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LONDON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - A partial pardon by Myanmar's ruling military of jailed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi means "absolutely nothing", her younger son said on Wednesday, calling on Western governments to do more to step up pressure on the junta. Myanmar has been in turmoil since early 2021, when the military overthrew Suu Kyi's elected government and cracked down on opponents of military rule, with thousands jailed or killed. Suu Kyi had won a 2015 election, held as part of tentative military reforms, and her party won again in 2020, before the military complained of election fraud. Kim Aris, the son of Myanmar’s detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, poses for a portrait at the Reuters office in London, Britain, August 2, 2023. "But I do not see that this will actually result in any dialogue," he said of Suu Kyi's partial pardon.

Persons: Myanmar's, Aung San Suu, Kim Aris, Suu Kyi's, Suu Kyi, Michael Aris, Myanmar’s, Aung San, Aung San Suu Kyi, Dylan Martinez, I've, Aung, Suu, Sachin Ravikumar, Nick Macfie Organizations: Reuters, Aris, REUTERS, National Unity Government, Thomson Locations: British, London, Myanmar, Aung San Suu, Britain, Aung San, U.S

☆ Inside Myanmar’s Escalating Assault on Civilians
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Haley Willis | Weiyi Cai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +16 min

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Persons: Anthony Davis, “, Mr, Davis, ”, Maung, “ It’s, you’ve, Nyaung Kone, Maung Maung, Ngun Hoi, Hram Ling “, Ngun, Daw Thein Htay, Thein Htay, Htoke, Ma Gyi Sauk, Paung Hle Kone, Hle Kone, ” Mr, Tun Sein, Tragically Organizations: New York Times, Rohingya, National Unity Government, The Times, United Nations, Human Rights, “, Janes, Amnesty, Amnesty International, Education, Facebook, Myanmar, Myanmar Witness, Times Locations: Myanmar, trickling, Myanmar’s, Rakhine State, Rakhine, China, Russia, Sagaing, Kachin State, Pazigyi, Naypyidaw, Yangon Yangon, Yangon, Nyaung, Khuafo, Thantlang Township, Ngun, Thantlang, Salai, Ma Gyi, Paung, Sagaing’s Son, “

☆ Myanmar military may move Suu Kyi to house arrest - media
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A demonstrator holds up a placard outside the Central Bank of Myanmar to protest against the military coup and to demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in Yangon, Myanmar, February 11, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer/File PhotoJuly 26 (Reuters) - Myanmar's military government may move ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi from prison to house arrest in the capital, Naypyitaw, two media outlets reported on Wednesday. Many Western governments have condemned the junta's treatment of Suu Kyi and others, calling for their release. The daughter of Myanmar's independence hero was first put under house arrest in 1989 after huge protests against decades of military rule. In 1991, she won the Nobel Peace Prize for campaigning for democracy but was only fully released from house arrest in 2010.

Persons: Aung San, Aung San Suu Kyi, Stringer, Suu, Kyaw Zaw, Suu Kyi, Don Pramudwinai, Kanupriya Kapoor, Robert Birsel Organizations: Central Bank of, REUTERS, Associated Press, BBC, Reuters, National Unity Government, Thai Foreign, ASEAN, Myanmar, Thomson Locations: Central Bank of Myanmar, Aung San Suu, Yangon, Myanmar, Naypyitaw, Suu

☆ ASEAN struggles for unity on Myanmar conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The cause of the delay was unclear but an ASEAN official said a communique was being finalised and would be released soon. ASEAN chair Indonesia on Wednesday urged the group's foreign ministers to remain united in tackling the escalating violence in Myanmar. Malaysia, a vocal critic of the junta, urged ASEAN to strongly condemn the junta's actions, including violence. RIFTS APPARENTRifts within ASEAN over Myanmar were highlighted when Thailand invited Myanmar military officials to a meeting last month aimed at "re-engaging" with the junta. Indonesia, as ASEAN chair this year, is working behind the scenes to bring all stakeholders in the Myanmar conflict together for informal talks, but diplomats say it is struggling to make headway.

Persons: Zambry Abdul Kadir, Antony Blinken, Wang Yi, Don Pramudwinai, Don, Myanmar's, Aung San, Aung San Suu Kyi, Malaysia's Zambry, Suu Kyi's, Kate Lamb, Stanley Widianto, Kanupriya Kapoor, Rob Birsel, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Myanmar's, Association for Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, Junta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Myanmar, Thai Foreign, National Unity Government, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, Jakarta, Myanmar, Malaysia, United States, China, Russia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Aung San Suu, Naypyitaw

☆ ASEAN chair Indonesia has little to show for Myanmar peace drive, diplomats say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Kate Lamb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JAKARTA, July 12 (Reuters) - Indonesia, working on behalf of southeast Asian nations, has little to show so far for its intense behind-the-scenes efforts to bridge gaps between factions in Myanmar's conflict, diplomatic sources say. Myanmar has been racked by violence since 2021, when the military seized power from a largely elected government and unleashed a deadly crackdown on opponents. But the junta, an opposition "shadow government" and rebel militias all refuse to compromise on their respective conditions to start even informal talks, said three sources, including two diplomats, familiar with the matter. Sasa said he could not confirm if the Bali meetings had taken place, but called for even deeper engagement with ASEAN. The sources said Indonesia had drawn inspiration from its "cocktail diplomacy" of the late 1980s, when it convinced Cambodia's four opposing factions to meet for informal talks near Jakarta.

Persons: Sasa, Bali, Cambodia's, Lina Alexandra, Retno Marsudi, Kanupriya Kapoor, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, National Unity Government, Centre, Strategic, International Studies, Indonesian, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, Indonesia, Myanmar, Indonesia's, Bali, Jakarta

CNN —Ma Khin Hla and her five siblings didn’t have time to run when a fighter jet buzzed over their village in Myanmar’s central Sagaing region. We didn’t get to run as it immediately dropped bombs.”When she opened her eyes after the strike on Tuesday, Ma Khin Hla said she saw her siblings’ bodies scattered around her. A monastery hit by the junta airstrike in Pale township, Sagaing region, Myanmar. CNN reached out to junta spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun for comment on the airstrike but did not receive a response. Ma Khin Hla, whose five siblings were killed, said she has been forced to take shelter with relatives in another village.

Persons: Khin Hla, didn’t, ”, Ma Khin Hla, Zaw Htet, ” Zaw Htet, Min Aung Hlaing, “, Zaw Min Tun, Ar Lu Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Administration, Peoples Defense Forces, National Unity Government, SAC, United Locations: Myanmar’s, Sagaing, Nyaung Kone, Pale, Myanmar, Zaw, “, United Nations, Russia, China, Singapore

Only Cambodia has so far officially confirmed it intended to attend the talks. Myanmar's junta spokesman could not be reached for comment on Sunday. Thailand's foreign ministry was tight-lipped about exactly who was attending the two-day gathering in the resort town of Pattaya, for which outgoing Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai sent invitation letters just four days before its start. Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn was to attend the meeting, his government said in a statement on Friday. Vietnam's government said its foreign minister would not attend "due to a prior engagement".

Persons: Nobel, Aung, Myanmar's, Swe, Don Pramudwinai, Don, Prak Sokhonn, Vivian Balakrishnan, Nantiwat Samart, Suu Kyi's, Panu, Phuong Nguyen, Ananda Teresia, Stefanno Sulaiman, Poppy McPherson, Devjyot, Kay Johnson, William Mallard Organizations: Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, Reuters, Cambodian, Nation TV, National Unity Government, Thai, Ananda, Thomson Locations: BANGKOK, Cambodia, Suu, Thailand, Pattaya, Myanmar, Indonesia, Singapore, Thai, ASEAN, Malaysia, Philippines, Bangkok, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Shoon

His family – all 11 of them – had huddled together in their house in Sittwe, on the coast of Myanmar’s Rakhine state, as ferocious winds intensified overhead. As the water rose, the family ran to escape the storm surge but they got separated in the chaos. Sai Aung Main/AFP/Getty ImagesCrisis upon crisisWhile western Rakhine state took a direct hit from the cyclone, the UN estimates 150,000 people in the country’s northwest were also heavily affected. One resident from Magway, where around 11,000 households were affected by the storm, said her husband died in flooding caused by Cyclone Mocha. Smashed-up boats are piled up next to a broken bridge in Sittwe, in Myanmar's Rakhine state, on May 15 after Cyclone Mocha.

☆ Cyclone Mocha: Myanmar junta travel restrictions are holding up vital aid to cyclone-hit communities
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Myanmar’s military junta is holding up humanitarian access to some cyclone-hit communities in western Rakhine state after Cyclone Mocha devastated the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in the poorest parts of the country. Storm damage has hampered efforts to access rural and hard-to-reach areas while pre-existing travel restrictions imposed by the junta have delayed the delivery of vital aid to communities in urgent need. “It seems that many agencies haven’t even been able to conduct needs assessments, let alone deliver aid, because SAC (junta) officials have not granted travel authorization. This is extremely worrying.”A girl draws water from a pump at Basara refugee camp in Sittwe on May 16 in the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha. A Rohingya woman stands in her damaged house at Basara refugee camp in Sittwe on May 16 following Cyclone Mocha.

☆ Cyclone Mocha Leaves Thousands Homeless in Bangladesh and Myanmar
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Saif Hasnat | Suhasini Raj | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Hundreds of thousands of people began repairing or rebuilding their homes and livelihoods on Monday after a deadly cyclone hit Myanmar and Bangladesh over the weekend. The storm, named Mocha, killed several people in Myanmar, though there were conflicting accounts from leaders as to exactly how many. The Myanmar government said the number was five, but the shadow government, called the National Unity Government, which may have more sources in the country’s remote conflict zones, said it was 18. Though the damage from the powerful storm was not as dire as predicted, there were still hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees left homeless, along with reports of people stranded and having to make their way through storm debris to get home. The damage in Myanmar was mostly confined to Rakhine State, Chin State and other areas in the west, according to officials and aid workers.

☆ Indonesia president condemns attack on ASEAN officials delivering aid in Myanmar
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JAKARTA, May 8 (Reuters) - Indonesia's President Joko Widodo on Monday condemned an attack in Myanmar on ASEAN officials delivering humanitarian aid, and called for an end to violence in the strife-torn country. Jokowi, as the president is popularly known, did not provide details of the incident but said it would not deter efforts by Indonesia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to push for peace in Myanmar. This condition will not make anybody win," he said, adding that Indonesia encourages all stakeholders to have a dialogue and find solutions. Myanmar's shadow National Unity Government, which is allied with the anti-junta militias, the People's Defence Forces (PDF), said it was not aware of any attack. A spokesperson for the Myanmar junta did not respond to a request for comment.

Speaking later at a press conference, Retno said it was vital to secure the trust of all those involved. "Indonesia is using non-megaphone diplomacy, this aims to build trust with all stakeholders, so they want to talk to us," she said. "Indonesia continues trying to play a bridging role to reduce a deep and sharp gap among the stakeholders." Representatives of the Myanmar junta and two armed ethnic groups did not respond to requests for comment. An Indonesian foreign ministry official confirmed the move to engage all stakeholders had the support of ASEAN members.

☆ Myanmar's neighbours, some ASEAN members hold secretive talks on crisis - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Devjyot Ghoshal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BANGKOK, April 26 (Reuters) - Government and think-tank representatives from Myanmar and its neighbours, including India and China, held talks in New Delhi on Tuesday as part of a secretive effort to de-escalate a bloody crisis in the army-run Southeast Asian nation, two sources said. One of the sources said participants were interested in bringing into the process Myanmar's shadow National Unity Government (NUG), an organisation affiliated with the resistance and declared "terrorists" by the junta. "The neighbouring countries' perspective needs to be taken into account," said the source, "For them, the foremost priority is the de-escalation of the violence." ASEAN has barred the junta from attending until they implement the plan, which has infuriated the generals. "This effort will not supplant ASEAN," the second source said of the ongoing talks, "This will only complement."

☆ Myanmar airstrike survivors ask what will it take for the world to act: 'How many more children have to die?'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Helen Regan Sandi Sidhu Anna Coren Salai Tz Su Chay | Helen Regan | Sandi Sidhu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The aftermath of an airstrike in Pazigyi village in Sagaing Region's Kanbalu Township, Myanmar, Tuesday, April 11, 2023. The three-year-old girl (left) was among the 186 people who were killed in the military attack in Sagaing, Myanmar. There were 56 air attacks by the military junta between January and March this year, according to Myanmar’s Ambassador to the United Nations Kyaw Min Tun, who represents the NUG. The one-year-old girl (left) was another victim of the military airtsike in Sagaing, Myanmar. The survivors who lost families in last Tuesday’s attack ask how many more people have to die before such action is taken.

☆ ASEAN "strongly condemns" deadly air strike in Myanmar
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JAKARTA, April 13 (Reuters) - The chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said on Thursday the bloc "strongly condemns" a military air strike this week on a village in Myanmar, which is reported to have killed up to 100 people including civilians. Tuesday's attack in the Sagaing area was the deadliest in a recent string of military air attacks, with children reported to be among the dead, and has drawn global condemnation. "All forms of violence must end immediately, particularly the use of force against civilians," chair Indonesia said in a statement. "This would be the only way to create a conducive environment for an inclusive national dialogue to find a sustainable peaceful solution in Myanmar," it said. A junta spokesperson said Tuesday's attack targeted a ceremony held by the NUG for their armed People's Defence Force, adding the attack aimed to restore peace and stability in the region.

At least 133 people, including women and children, were killed after Myanmar’s military junta bombed Kanbalu township in the central Sagaing region on Tuesday, the human rights minister of the ousted shadow National Unity Government Aung Myo Min told CNN. Like much of Sagaing, the area is not under the control of the military junta. I saw flesh on the road.”The eyewitness said he saw dozens of bodies after the attack, including children as young as five. The attacks have killed civilians, including children, and targeted schools, clinics, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure. And a military airstrike on a school in Sagaing in September killed at least 13 people, including seven children.

☆ Myanmar junta says military carried out deadly attack on rebel ceremony
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

At least 50 people, including children, were killed in Tuesday's air strike in the Sagaing area in northwest Myanmar, according to media reports. Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told military broadcast channel Myawaddy the attack on the ceremony held by the National Unity Government (NUG), a shadow administration, for their armed People's Defence Force was aimed at restoring peace and stability in the region. They are the ones opposing the government of the country, the people of the country," said Zaw Min Tun. Kyaw Zaw, a spokesman for the NUG, said it believed nearly 100 people were killed in the Tuesday attack when air force jets dropped bombs on villagers and military attack helicopters then followed up, calling it "another senseless, barbaric, brutal attack by the military". The military has ruled Myanmar for most of the past 60 years saying it is the only institution capable of holding the diverse country together.

☆ Myanmar junta dissolves Suu Kyi's party as election deadline passes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi attends the opening session of the 31st ASEAN Summit in Manila, Philippines, November 13, 2017. "It doesn't matter whether they say our party is dissolved or not. The shadow National Unity Government (NUG), which the junta has declared "terrorists", said the military had no authority to hold what would be a sham election. The election would return Myanmar to the quasi-civilian democratic system that experts say the military can control with the NLD out of the picture. Richard Horsey, senior adviser to the International Crisis Group, said the election was dangerous for the country.

☆ Myanmar junta leader urges foreign powers to back its return to democracy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The junta will hold an election in August that has already been widely dismissed as a sham. It is likely to be dominated by a proxy party of the military that was trounced in the past two elections. "The military and government need to take action against the terrorist groups that are trying to devastate the country and are killing people," Min Aung Hlaing said. His coup abruptly ended a decade of tentative democracy and unprecedented economic development in Myanmar, which has been under military rule for five of the past six decades. Human rights groups accuse the military of committing atrocities in operations against the resistance fighters, including attacks on the civilian population.

☆ At least 22 people killed in suspected massacre at Myanmar monastery
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Soldiers stand next to military vehicles as people gather to protest against the military coup, in Yangon, Myanmar, February 15, 2021. A spokesman for the KNDF said its soldiers entered Nan Neint on Sunday and found dead bodies scattered at a Buddhist monastery. Video and photographs provided by the KNDF and another group, the Karenni Revolution Union (KRU), showed bullet wounds to the torso and heads of the dead bodies and bullet holes in the walls of the monastery. "Since all the dead bodies were found within the compound of Nan Nein monastery, it is evident that this was a massacre." At least 3,137 people have been killed in the military crackdown since the coup, according to the non-profit Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

☆ Protesters mark Myanmar coup anniversary, junta due to make statement
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Filipino activists stage a protest in solidarity with Myanmar citizens, two years since Myanmar's military coup, outside the Embassy of Myanmar in Makati City, Philippines, February 1, 2023. REUTERS/Eloisa LopezFeb 1 (Reuters) - Protesters marked the two-year anniversary of Myanmar's military coup with a "silent strike" in major cities and rallies overseas on Wednesday, as exiled civilian leaders vowed to end what they called the army's "illegal power grab". Myanmar's military took power after complaining of fraud in a November 2020 general election won by Suu Kyi's party. PROTESTS IN BANGKOKIn the main commercial cities of Yangon and Mandalay, images on social media showed deserted streets in what coup opponents said was a silent protest against the junta. State media recently announced tough requirements for parties to contest, a move that critics say could sideline the military's opponents and cement its grip on politics.

☆ UN expert warns Myanmar's military plans to seek legitimacy in 'sham' election
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

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. Tom Andrews also called for nations that support human rights and democracy to recognize the underground umbrella organization for opponents of military rule as the legitimate representative of Myanmar's people. "You cannot have a free and fair election when the opposition is arrested, detained, tortured, and executed," journalists are prohibited from doing their job, and it is a crime to criticize the military, Andrews said at a news conference. Andrews called for recognition and support for the National Unity Government, the main underground group coordinating resistance to the military. It was established by elected legislators who were barred from taking their seats when the military seized power.

☆ Two years on, Myanmar coup takes a 'catastrophic toll'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

REUTERS/StaffJan 31 (Reuters) - Two years after Myanmar's military coup, a young factory worker turned resistance fighter mourns the loss of his leg in battle. The stories of four people reflect a crisis the U.N. special envoy last week warned was taking a "catastrophic toll" on the population. THE TEACHERA middle-school teacher has been living in a Thai border town since fleeing arrest in Myanmar last year. A slight woman with long black hair, she joined the civil disobedience movement (CDM) that sprang up after the coup. Her green and white uniform is safe in Myanmar, she said, neatly stored, in case of her return.

☆ Former King of Greece Constantine II dies at 82
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie arrive at Fredensborg Castle in Denmark to a dinner given to celebrate the 75th birthday of Queen Margrthe II of Denmark on April 16th, 2015. Ritzau Scanpix 2023/Thomas Lekfeldt via REUTERSATHENS, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Greece's former King Constantine II, whose nine-year reign coincided with one of the most turbulent periods in the country's political history, died on Tuesday aged 82, state website ERT news reported. Constantine II, the only son of King Paul and Queen Frederica of Greece, ascended to the throne in 1964 after his father died but his reign was marred by political instability which culminated in a military coup on April 21, 1967. With his wife Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, the former king, a sailor whose team won a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics, had five children. Constantine, Prince William's godfather, and his family had lived in London for years, before returning to Greece.

☆ Myanmar court convicts Aung San Suu Kyi of corruption in final case
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

BANGKOK — A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted the country’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi of corruption on Friday, sentencing her to seven years in prison in the last of a string of criminal cases against her, a source with direct knowledge of the proceedings confirmed to NBC News. The 77-year-old Suu Kyi has also been convicted of several other offenses, including illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, violating coronavirus restrictions, breaching the country’s official secrets act, sedition and election fraud. Suu Kyi was the de facto head of government, holding the title of state counsellor. The U.N. said in August that Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar’s military-installed government, had “expressed openness to arranging a meeting at the right time” between Suu Kyi and U.N. special envoy Noeleen Heyzer. “The Myanmar junta’s farcical, totally unjust parade of charges and convictions against Aung San Suu Kyi amount to politically motivated punishment designed to hold her behind bars for the rest of her life,” he said.

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