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Aiming for the long-term resilience of ancient heritage in Kengtung District, Shan State (South) and systematic maintenance measures, Union Minister for Hotels, Tourism and Culture U Maung Myint inspected the Ngan Pha Mo
Cement, roofing sheets and roofing nails are being provided to residents of Falam in Chin State, whose homes were damaged during violent incidents. Deputy Minister for Border Affairs Maj-Gen Kyaw Swar Oo inspected ongoin
It is understood that the newly appointed Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair and its role will no longer be needed in the future, as the government that emerged from the multi-party democratic elections held in accordance
President U Min Aung Hlaing said that if the floods continue for a long time, there will be more damage to people's lives and agricultural activities, so the drainage channels need to be properly managed so that the wate
The new elected government will continue to promote peace, stability, and the development of the country through Myanmar's own process led by Myanmar, stated U Min Aung Hlaing, Head of State, Agga Maha Thray Sithu, Agga
Residents of several villages in Madaya Township, Mandalay Region, have been relocated to safer areas after an embankment overflowed, causing flooding in the villages, according to the Myanmar Fire Brigade. It is reporte
August 9 Mizzima. Among the news that could shake the public in the first week of August, news about Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was included. News emerged that a military junta's fighter jet crashed during a training flight on
Currently, cumulonimbus clouds are forming across Myanmar, and according to a statement released by the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology at 4:00 PM on August 8th, unusual weather phenomena including heavy rain, st
August 9 Mizzima. — Celebrations were held regionally to honor the International Day of the Indigenous Peoples, which falls on August 9, in the Salween Peace Park (SPP) and the Sao Sitha Oo Indigenous Park (TTIP) areas,
The programs that can be heard today will present the protests and demands from international human rights organizations and civil society organizations regarding the trip of Myanmar's military leader Min Aung Hlaing to
August 9 Mizzima. -- Today, August 9, is World Indigenous Peoples Day, a day to honour the important role indigenous peoples play in protecting their culture, traditions, knowledge, and nature, the Karen Environmental an
August 9 Mizzima. || A joint statement released on August 7 by 146 civil society organizations from Myanmar, the region, and internationally expressed extreme concern over reports that the Myanmar National Human Rights C
Thai PBS Myanmar's military leader, Min Aung Hlaing, co-chaired the opening ceremony of the Thailand-Myanmar Business Forum 2026 held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center on August 6, presenting his vision to
Thai PBS Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing co-chaired the opening of the Thailand-Myanmar Business Forum 2026 on 6 August, at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC), proposing to position Myanmar as a st
Images of Myanmar military chief Min Aung Hlaing’s red-carpet welcome in Bangkok dominated online discussion this week, as his two-day visit to Thailand on 6-7 August drew sharp criticism from social media users questioning whether the reception helps him gain political legitimacy. Min Aung Hlaing, who led Myanmar’s 2021 military coup, was sworn in as president in April. Thailand, pursuing what it calls “calibrated re-engagement,” welcomed him with an honour guard at Government House and hosted him at a business forum with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. On Facebook, some Myanmar users mocked the visit, with one saying the photos were meant to send the message “See? I’m normal,” while another wrote “Everything is so rigged.” Posts questioned whether Thailand’s practical gains, such as cooperation on migrant labour, were worth handing Min Aung Hlaing valuable images of international acceptance. Discussion also revived doubts over ASEAN’s five-point peace plan. During the welcome ceremony at parliament, an opposition Thai MP was removed after chanting for peace. Separately, migrant worker groups and Thai citizens protested outside the UN office in Bangkok, and Thai civil society organisations issued a joint statement opposing the visit. Myanmar’s military-backed government has been barred from ASEAN’s top meetings since 2021 over stalled progress on the peace plan, making Bangkok’s formal welcome a rare exception for a leader still shunned by much of the world.
Nicholas Kong Thailand and Myanmar share a long, complex, and often ambivalent history. Their relationship has been shaped by centuries of rivalry and territorial conflict, but also by economic interdependence, shared security concerns, and unusually close ties between their military institutions. Today, Thailand, Myanmar’s next-door neighbor in the ASEAN family, is arguably its most consequential interlocutor. As an ASEAN founding member, Bangkok therefore occupies a unique position: it can serve as an icebreaker between Myanmar and ASEAN or, if bilateral interests take precedence over collective commitments, risk becoming a rank-breaker within the bloc. A Multi-Dimensional Relationship For more than five centuries, Thailand-Myanmar relations have evolved across three overlapping dimensions: traditional state-to-state security, economic interdependence, and non-traditional security challenges. The Burmese Toungoo and Konbaung kingdoms invaded Siam several times from the sixteenth century until the Anglo-Burmese wars culminated in the British annexation of Burma in 1885, while Siam remained an independent buffer state. After Burma gained independence in 1948, civil war and ethnic insurgencies emerged along the Thai border, making border security and informal trade central to bilateral relations. Following General Ne Win’s 1962 coup, the military dominated political and economic life, and Myanmar descended into one of the world’s least developed countries, while Thailand emerged as one of Southeast Asia’s rising economies. Cross-border smuggling expanded, while the Golden Triangle became a major center of the global opium trade. After Myanmar’s 1988 political upheaval and military coup, refugee flows, undocumented migration, and human trafficking intensified. Methamphetamine production increasingly overtook opium as a regional and global problem. During Myanmar’s period of quasi-democracy from 2010 to 2020, bilateral trade expanded, and Thailand became one of Myanmar’s largest investors. Yet narcotics trafficking, irregular migration, and other cross-border problems persisted. The 2021 coup dramatically intensified these challenges. Conflict, displacement, and humanitarian needs expanded, while the border area around Myawaddy, including Shwe Kokko and KK Park, became cyber-scam hubs operated by transnational criminal networks and Border Guard Forces under Myanmar military command. The Golden Triangle also remains a major center of synthetic drug production. A Long-Standing Military Relationship The military relationship between Thailand and Myanmar is closer than is often recognized. Since the 1960s, military-to-military contacts have survived periods of political disagreement and border tension. Both countries have experienced strong military influence over politics, creating institutional familiarity between their armed forces. There is, however, an important contrast. Thailand’s military institutions have coexisted with an increasingly diversified economy and political system, while Myanmar’s military has retained exclusive control over the state and economy. Myanmar’s generals and their cronies have accumulated enormous wealth and influence through control of national resources and lucrative enterprises, contributing to the country’s prolonged economic decline. Since the 2021 coup, military cooperation has continued in areas including border security and technology, while the Myanmar military has expanded airstrikes and drone warfare against civilians across the country. These historical bilateral relations help explain Bangkok’s view that isolation alone cannot resolve the problems spilling across its border. But they also create a potential blind spot that could lead to political accommodation. An Icebreaker – or a Rank-Breaker? Thailand’s desire for a dual-track approach is understandable. Bangkok must deal directly with border instability, refugee flows, transnational crime, cyber-scam networks, narcotics trafficking, migration, and humanitarian pressures. Bangkok has pushed to promote Myanmar’s gradual reintegration into ASEAN and has described itself as a “bridge.” Its engagement can therefore be constructive if it uses that access to encourage compliance with ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus (5PC) and facilitate broader political dialogue. But there is a clear trap. Thailand is hosting the junta leader on August 6–7, providing an opportunity for engagement while raising concerns that such high-level contact could inadvertently contribute to the junta’s search for legitimacy. If such bilateral engagement is perceived as normalization without accountability, it could unintentionally reduce the diplomatic costs of the junta’s continued non-compliance with the 5PC. Thailand’s challenge is therefore not whether to engage Myanmar. It is how to engage without weakening ASEAN’s collective framework. As a founding member of ASEAN, Thailand has a responsibility to safeguard the organization’s unity and the credibility of its commitments. Its bilateral diplomacy should reinforce ASEAN’s collective leverage rather than provide a bypass. The Wise Broker Thailand can play a valuable role precisely because of its access to Myanmar’s military leadership and its geographical proximity that many other ASEAN members do not possess. But a broker must also recognize the limits of bilateral diplomacy. A durable political settlement will require engagement with stakeholders beyond Naypyidaw, including ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), political parties, civil society actors, and the Steering Council for the Emergence of a Federal Democratic Union (SCEF) – a collective leadership body established by the National Unity Government (NUG), Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), and major EAOs including the Karen National Union (KNU), Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), Karenni National Progressive Party/Interim Executive Council (KNPP/IEC), and Chin National Front (CNF). Engaging the SCEF as a coalition entity and other EAOs outside the coalition does not require Thailand or ASEAN to recognize or endorse any particular actor. Acknowledging Myanmar’s political reality through broader engagement with all major stakeholders, based on political inclusivity rather than institutional control, would give Thailand and ASEAN a more complete understanding of developments on the ground and increase the prospects for an eventual political settlement. Thailand’s ASEAN Responsibility The people of both countries have interests that transcend military-to-military relations. They seek peace, border stability, lawful cross-border commerce, economic opportunity, legal employment and migration, humanitarian protection, and cultural and educational exchange. Ultimately, they share an interest in living peacefully within the ASEAN community. Thailand’s unique position can therefore become an asset for ASEAN. Bangkok can use its established channels with Myanmar to enco
THE grand trading of the eight listed companies on the Yangon Stock Exchange (YSX) amounted to K2.16 billion from 262,340 shares traded in July 2026, according to YSX’s statistics.,At present, shares of eight listed comp
A total of 44,588 premi- um-quality Shwebo Pawsan rice sacks (2,229 tonnes) were delivered across the country within the first week of August 2026, ac- cording to the Department of Consumer Affairs in Sagaing Region. The
THE wholesale reference price of palm oil set for the Yangon market slightly decreased to K7,208 per viss this week ending 13 August after the rate was stable at K7,220 per viss in the past three consec- utive weeks from
YANGON Region has ex- ceeded its target for culti- vating monsoon chilli (Hm- yarni variety). A total of 211 acres had been targeted for cultivation in Hlegu and Taikkyi townships, but by the first week of August, farmer
ELECTRICITY has been supplied to Falam and nearby villages through two 400-kilowatt power generators. Repair works are currently being car- ried out on the Ngasitsva hydropower plant, offices and staff housing units that
THE inspection team led by U Than Win, a member of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission, conducted an inspection visit to the Hngetawsan Boys’ Training School in Kawhmu Township, Yangon Region, under the supervis
THE delegation led by U Tin Maung Win, the Chair- man of the Union Civil Ser- vice Board, attended the meetings hosted by the Ministry of Civil Service of Cambodia in Siem Reap, the Kingdom of Cambodia. The delegation pa
THE high-level Myanmar delegation led by President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar U Min Aung Hlaing left Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok yesterday afternoon after paying an official visit to Thailand
Myanmar Embassy and Military Attaché Office staff in Thailand are urged to provide the best possible care and support for Myanmar citizens who are residing in or have arrived in Thailand for various reasons, said Preside
President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar U Min Aung Hlaing met Thai National Assembly Acting President Mr Mongkol Surassajja at the Thai Parliament building yesterday morning during his official visit to Thailan
DEVELOPMENT is un- derway to transform Tha- leitaung, a natural cave in Hpa-an Township, into a tourist destination, accord- ing to Tourism Hpa-an. This plan is ongoing under the leadership of the Kayin State tourism wor
YANGON Region Chief Minister U Aung Naing Thu and responsible officials inaugurated the 5th Yangon International Gems and Jewellery Fair with a ribbon-cutting on 6 August at the Lotte Hotel in Yangon, and they subsequent
A grand opening for the new Mingala Market in Mingala Taungnyunt Township is set for September 2026. The new market is designated to replace the Mingala Market, which was destroyed by fire. Original vendors operating sho
Benedict Rogers for UCA News The people of Myanmar mark the 38th anniversary of one of the bloodiest crackdowns by the military dictatorship on peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators in the country’s history. The tragedy i
Water levels in several major rivers have risen above their danger marks, prompting authorities to advise residents living near riverbanks and in low-lying areas to take precautionary measures. According to observations
It is known that 156 individuals involved in committing online scam and gambling offenses in Kengtung Township were arrested along with business equipment. Around 7 AM on August 7th, joint security forces conducted inves
According to a statement on her Telegram by Daw Khine Khine Soe, the spokesperson for the State President's Office, in Hlaingbwe Township, where flooding has occurred due to the breach of the Ngwan dam, communication ser
Daw Hnin Hnin Mway, a member of the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) and Joint Secretary (1) of the New Social Democratic Party, said that the Spring Revolution is a revolution that could achieve the final vict
Columnist: Maung Lu Aye (Erawati Times, August 8) "It's best if you don't do it. But because of the current situation, we have to do it for sustenance," said Sarkhasha son Ko Ye Lin Myo, a gold float maker in the lower p
Ayeyarwaddy Times August 8 Domestic fuel prices have been rising for three consecutive weeks, according to market sources. The domestic fuel price has increased by approximately 400 kyats per liter for gasoline and nearl