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Discussions were held for stability and development in regions where Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) are based, according to the National Unity and Peacemaking Coordination Committee. The National Unity and Peacemaking
Criticisms and discussions are rising among ground-level revolutionary forces and the public over the National League for Democracy (NLD) Central Working Committee (CWC)'s recent statement No. 4/2026, which states the po
Speaker of the Pyithu Hluttaw U Khin Yi, accompanied by Deputy Speaker U Maung Maung Ohn and responsible officials from the Pyithu Hluttaw office, met with members of the Committee on Domestic and Foreign Non-Governmenta
The Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, General Ye Win Oo, accompanied by senior Tatmadaw officers and responsible officials from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, conducted an inspection visit Tuesday morning to
The Union Government, with the aim of strengthening internal peace and building a union based on democracy and federalism, has been accelerating dialogue with ethnic armed organizations. With the objective of establishin
Union Minister for the Ministry of National Planning, Investment and Foreign Economic Relations, U Aung Kyaw Hoe, received Mr. Michael John Dunford, Representative and Country Director of the United Nations World Food Pr
The Kintar Dam main left canal, located in Wundwin Township, Meiktila District, is scheduled to provide irrigation water for 52,070 acres of monsoon paddy and 3,494 acres of other monsoon crops this year. Water supply ha
Union Minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation U San Oo, conducted an inspection tour on the morning of July 20 at the Me Nyo Taung Reserved Forest along the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway, where forestr
The Ministry of Electricity and Energy is actively promoting comprehensive efforts to increase electricity generation capacity in the country, reduce electricity losses, and ensure a stable and continuous power supply sy
Union Minister for Labour U Khin Maung Soe, Ayeyawady Region Chief Minister U Aye Kyaw, and responsible officials met with approximately 200 employers and workers from factories and workshops at Ayeyar Shwe Wa Hall in Pa
Mekong, July 22 In Mae Sai, Thailand, across from Tachileik, entry for ambulances from Myanmar has been tightened, requiring them to have Myanmar permits for patient transport between Tachileik and Mae Sai, following the seizure of approximately 50 vehicles from the Myanmar side. This information was obtained from humanitarian organizations based in Tachileik. On July 20, Thai authorities, in collaboration with the Mae Sai Police, Immigration Bureau, and the Chiang Rai Provincial Labor Search Office, launched "Operation Protect Mae Sai." After seizing 50 Myanmar-registered vehicles and fining each 5,000 baht, restrictions were also imposed on ambulances. A local resident said, "One organization had to hire a red line bus to transfer the patient at the bridgehead." Previously, patients could be directly transported to Mae Sai's Seepoolin Hospital, or patients destined for Chiang Rai could be transferred directly by coordinating with humanitarian organizations in Mae Sai. Now, to transport a patient, documents are required. For ambulances, the owner's registration, vehicle registration, registered owner's ID, and driver's license must be presented. For patients, a patient registration, medical certificate, or hospital recommendation letter must be included, according to humanitarian organizations. Another official from a humanitarian organization explained, "It's been about a week since they started saying that only vehicles with permits can enter Mae Sai. Just having a humanitarian organization's registration is not enough. A Myanmar vehicle permit is required. Without a permit, they have to transfer across the bridge." Regarding the situation in Mae Sai, a coordination meeting was held yesterday, July 21, in the afternoon, with Tachileik district officials to ensure that Myanmar citizens do not suffer any disadvantages. A local resident said, "We don't know exactly how they will proceed. Will they retaliate like the Myanmar side did, or will they organize taxis to negotiate with the Thai side for acceptance, or how will they negotiate with the Thai side? " Currently, at the Mae Sai border crossing in Thailand, Myanmar taxi drivers are being inspected and fined, and the movement of ambulances is also becoming difficult.
Mekong, July 22 Locals have complained to Mekong that although a joint team from the township administration and relevant departments inspected the area around Pan-se-lee village, where village clerk U Hein Zeyar Oo of the Lueng-kham-lun village-tract in Myit-kyina Township, Shan State (East), was illegally logging and transporting timber, the team did not actually visit the logging site and conducted only a perfunctory investigation. The joint team, which included officials from the Myit-kyina Township General Administration Department, the police force, and the Forest Department, went to investigate on July 21st at 9:45 AM, following reports of illegal logging in the direction of Pan-se-lee village. "Their team went towards Pan-se-lee village. However, they did not go to the actual logging site in Pan-se-lee where illegal logging was taking place. They did not ask the local villagers about the exact location of the illegal logging. They just gathered some wood scraps and branches found by the roadside and burned them," a local told Mekong. The logging site where the General Administration clerk is illegally logging is a pine hill on the left side before reaching Pan-se-lee village, and according to locals, due to logging with machinery, the entire hill is almost devoid of trees. "The joint team asked the villagers, 'Where are the logs piled up? ' but they did not ask where the logs were being cut and transported. Since the logs were illegally cut and sold just a few days ago, there would be no piles of logs in the village. Shouldn't they have gone directly to the recently logged site and taken effective action?
The railway section between Myitkyina, Mogok, and Myitkyina, which had not been operational for over 5 years due to political circumstances, will resume its round-trip train services. It was reported that the Myitkyina-M
The Myanmar-China Friendship Association (MCFA) Central Headquarters Mandalay Branch and the Myanmar Youth Development Association (MYDA) Central Headquarters Mandalay Branch held a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) sign
Human rights advocacy group Burma Campaign UK has officially added Elon Musk’s SpaceX—the parent company of satellite internet provider Starlink—alongside 53 other international corporations to its infamous “Dirty List”.
AFP A wave of political misinformation targeting the Rohingya population in Malaysia has sparked concern among human rights watch groups, fueling extreme hatred towards the refugee community and xenophobia, the groups sa
Myanmar's leader Min Aung Hlaing will meet with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul in Bangkok on August 6 and 7, a Thai foreign ministry spokesperson told AFP on Tuesday. Sihasak Phuangketkeow confirmed the meeting after "frank" discussions with Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Manila about how to bring Myanmar back into the diplomatic fold. Myanmar remains a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), but has been officially excluded from the bloc's key meetings since the military seized power in 2021, overthrowing the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Thailand, which shares a long border with the war-torn nation and hosts millions of Myanmar refugees, has been a leading proponent of bringing the pariah state back into the fold, a move that has exposed deep divisions among ASEAN members. Speaking to AFP on Tuesday, Sihasak said the upcoming visit by Min Aung Hlaing, who became president after the coup, was part of a "dual-track approach." "We have important bilateral common interests to deal with, cross-border crimes, scams, or drug issues," he said, adding that the approach did not mean abandoning ASEAN's long-standing five-point peace plan. However, he also said that during a recent meeting in Bangkok with Myanmar's Foreign Minister U Than Swe, he urged ASEAN partners to consider "how to measure progress." "Would it be a measure of progress if the Myanmar government allowed the ASEAN special envoy to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi? For example, would it be progress if some of the violence along the Thai-Myanmar border decreased?
A Yangon Army (YA) official told Mizzima that one junta soldier was injured in a bomb attack on the Insein police station in Yangon Region. Following the attack, junta forces conducted roadblocks and inspections. (Social
Photo – Vehicles and houses destroyed by arson and destruction by the junta. (KNU) July 22 Mizzima. Clashes occurred between the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) allied forces and the junta's column after it entered
Photo – Police disperse protesters in Delhi. As protests against the government over education issues intensify in India, the Myanmar community has warned Myanmar refugees living in New Delhi to be vigilant about their s
The Steering Council for the Emergence of a Federal Democratic Union (SCEF)—Myanmar’s premier resistance coalition—has called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to execute an “inclusive and results-ori
Mizzima The Naga Students’ Organization (NSO) peacefully boycotted the welcoming ceremony for Myanmar junta-appointed Sagaing Region Chief Minister Ko Lay’s visit to Lahe, demanding an immediate halt to forced military c
The Thai Cabinet has approved an extension of the temporary stay and work permit leniency period for legally employed migrant workers from Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam until December 11, 2027. The decision was approved dur
Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing will meet with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul over August 6 and 7 in Bangkok, Thailand’s foreign minister told AFP on Tuesday. Sihasak Phuangketkeow confirmed the sit-down after what he said was a “frank and candid” discussion with Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Manila on how best to pursue Myanmar’s return to the diplomatic fold. While still a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Myanmar has been formally excluded from the bloc’s major meetings since the junta’s 2021 coup toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government. Thailand, which shares a long border with civil war-torn Myanmar and hosts millions of its refugees, has been leading a push for the pariah state’s reintegration that has exposed deep divisions among members. On Tuesday, Sihasak told AFP that coup leader turned president Min Aung Hlaing’s upcoming visit to Thailand was part of “a dual-track approach”. “There are pressing bilateral issues we have to deal with, issues of … transnational crime, scams, or the issue of drugs,” he said, adding the approach did not mean an abandonment of ASEAN’s long-standing five-point peace plan. But he also said he had asked ASEAN counterparts to think about “how we measure progress” at a recent meeting in Bangkok with Myanmar Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe. “If the government in Myanmar provides access (to Suu Kyi) to the ASEAN special envoy, is that a measure of progress? If there’s some reduction of violence, let’s say along the Thai-Myanmar border … is that progress?
A clash in the South China Sea threatened to overshadow a meeting of Southeast Asian nations on Tuesday as the United States condemned “dangerous” Chinese actions in the contested waterway. The US statement came minutes
AFP A wave of political disinformation targeting Malaysia’s Rohingya population has raised alarm among rights groups that say it is fuelling xenophobia and intimidation against the refugee community. AFP fact-checkers ha
The Shan State Hluttaw announced that the third regular session of the third Shan State Hluttaw will be held on August 13, according to a press release issued on July 21. In accordance with Article 174 of the Constitutio
The scam industry in Myanmar is morphing and heading into the jungle, according to satellite imagery, victim testimony and local investigators. By Libby Hogan, Jarrod Fankhauser and Julian Fell for ABC Deep in Myanmar’s borderlands, pro-democracy fighters from an ethnic Karen armed group made an unexpected discovery after retaking territory held by a militia. The Karen National Liberation Army entered a large apartment complex behind jungle and razor wire fences. Inside, they found one of the country’s largest online scamming operations. About 3,000 people were working in the compound. “When we started to hear their stories, I realised just how plain evil the treatment of workers was in there,” said Cameron, a pseudonym used for security reasons as he continues working inside Myanmar. He works for the Free Burma Rangers, a humanitarian organisation that provided medical assistance for the newly freed victims. “Some were out in the cold, all freezing and vulnerable near the river.” The compound, known as Shunda Park, was a hub of industrial-scale cyber fraud. “When we didn’t hit the targets of scamming enough people, we were hung by chains and kept in dark rooms,” recalled Ivan, a Malaysian man who was trafficked through Thailand to Myanmar and freed during the operation. Other workers described similar experiences to Ivan: held in dark rooms for days with little food or water for punishment. Photos were shared with the ABC showing bruises and other injuries that had been inflicted. During the discovery, troops recovered thousands of phones, SIM cards and hard drives, alongside training manuals that instructed workers how to run romance scams. The capture of Shunda Park offered a rare glimpse inside an industry that has flourished in the chaos of Myanmar’s civil war. Since the military seized power in a 2021 coup, scam compounds have proliferated across the country’s lawless border regions, generating millions of dollars while exploiting trafficked workers from around the world. The ABC heard from two people, Ivan from Malaysia and a man from Taiwan, who were trafficked into compounds in the mountains of Myanmar’s Karen State. They asked to remain anonymous for fear of their safety or being targeted online. Scam industry growing in Myanmar, despite crackdowns Thailand and the Myanmar military have publicised their dismantling of scam centres, including two sprawling compounds that were far larger than Shunda Park. Shwe Kokko and KK Park, two notorious operations, held thousands of workers when they were raided last year. Up to 25,000 scammers worked in KK Park alone before it was spectacularly bombed. Thai anti-trafficking officials warned the true number of people held in the compound could have been higher. But investigators say the industry is decentralising rather than shutting down. “The problem isn’t disappearing, it’s morphing,” said Jason Tower, a senior analyst with the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. Free Burma Rangers confirmed a similar pattern on the ground. “We saw multiple probable scam compounds under construction on the way to Shunda Park,” Cameron said. Nathan Ruser, an Australian Strategic Policy Institute analyst who monitors the compounds through satellite imagery, said new facilities were visibly under construction even as authorities talked of crackdowns elsewhere. “The growth of these centres is [following] an exponential curve,” he said. Many of the newer compounds look like apartments. They’re springing up along the border with Thailand; many are within minutes’ drive of each other. Tower said there was evidence of a new model built to evade detection. “Scamming 2.0 is effectively compounds no longer within view from the Thai border, but operating deeper inside Myanmar,” he told the ABC. Satellite imagery suggests that one of the newer compounds, called Tai Chang, sprang up in 2024. Human rights groups have received calls for help from victims inside Tai Chang that confirm tactics far more brutal than previous compounds are being used to pressure workers. “They are further away so they’re heavily reliant on trafficking victims,” said Ruser, referring to the lack of workers living nearby the compounds. “There’s a lot more torture … a lot less medical care. “There’s less infrastructure [in the smaller locations]”, he said, pointing to compounds popping up along the Moei River in southern Myanmar, further away from the border crossing between Thailand and Myanmar. What’s more, investigators say the large compounds such as KK Park have undergone what anti-trafficking expert Mechelle Moore from Global Alms described as “performative demolition”. Buildings visible from main roads appear damaged or abandoned, while many operations continue or shift elsewhere. “The crime syndicates were given a heads-up … they left early before the raids started,” said an anti-trafficking investigator who tracks scam compounds along the border. “We actually confirmed KK Park and others around it are still very much standing and operational,” she said. Up and down the Thai border, scam centres continue to operate. To the south, they are spreading into more rural areas. When one compound was shut down, said Mr Ruser, another was likely to spring up elsewhere. “Scam centres require only a small footprint: a rented hotel, computers, electricity, an internet connection and permissive local law enforcement. “That makes it almost impossible to stamp out comprehensively across the region.” Who are the scammers? Many of the people carrying out the scams are themselves victims. Lin, a Taiwanese man, said he was lured to Bangkok with the promise of a translation job before being trafficked across the border into Myanmar. Scammers were told to conduct “pig butchering”, which involves building fake online profiles and cultivating relationships before persuading people to hand over large sums, often through cryptocurrency. Freed victims said they were primarily targeting Americans on social media, but they also went after Australians. “I was targeting Australian women,” a liberated Ethiopian man later told British news. He added, “Mostly the good clients are the older women because they are desperate for love.” When Lin attempted to contact Taiwanese police and email his location in a plea for help, he said he was brutally punished. “I was confined to a cage and forced to stand handcuffed in the sun for hours each day,” Lin wrote in an email to several NGOs asking for help. He shared photographs showing bruises across his body and said repeated beatings left him with suspected fractured ribs. “I could hear my bones grinding together when I walked and breathed,” he said. Inside Shunda Park, success and failure were mapped into the building itself. Workers who generated high revenue were housed on the upper floors, says Cameron of Free Burma Rangers. On lower levels, those who failed were put in punis
ASEAN foreign ministers in Philippines to discuss Myanmar Foreign ministers from the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and their major partners are gathering in Manila, Philippines, this week aga
MYANMAR is endowed with underground and aboveground natural resources. Among the varieties of natural re- sources, valuable timbers such as teak and ironwood, rubber dubbed as white gold and bamboo as green gold are avai
THE Department of Rural Development, under the Ministry of Cooperatives and Rural Development, held an awareness talk on environmental conservation and smoke haze reduction in Panhote (Lower) Village, Mongla Township, ye
THE Myanmar Motion Pictures Organization (MMPO) will provide ed- ucational grants, school uniforms and stationery to the children of film industry members on 25 July, according to MMPO Vice-Chairman U Aye Kyu Lay. The pr
THE riverside area of the Buu Pagoda, located in the Bagan ancient cultural zone, a place rich in Myanmar’s cultural heritage, has become crowded with tourists during public holidays due to the beauty of the retaining wa
THE Department of Rural Development, under the Ministry of Cooperatives and Rural Development, conducted a field inspec- tion yesterday to review the completion of a spring water supply system and water storage tank con-
THE Department of Rural Development, under the Ministry of Cooperatives and Rural Development, held a ceremony to disburse funds under the Village Revolving Fund Project (VRFP) in Kadaung Village, Yamethin Township, yest
THE plan to expand the production of cotton and cottonseed from the cot- ton plant was discussed in a meeting held on 20 July in Aunglan Town- ship, which owns more than 60,000 acres of cot- ton plantations, accord- ing