Two explosions and subsequent gunfire killed eight people and injured an additional eighteen at Insein Prison in Yangon; most of the victims were visitors bringing packages for inmates (NYT)
Insein Prison is known for holding political prisoners; the Special Task Agency of Burma claimed responsibility for the bombs, and stated it was not affiliated with any political organization (WaPo)
Aung San Suu Kyi to be Brought to Trial for Final Corruption Case
A court in Myanmar ruled that the final trial for the former leader with occur after state prosecutors submitted sufficient evidence for her indictment; Suu Kyi had previously been charged with twelve counts under the country’s anti-corruption law and is currently set to serve twenty-six years in prison. (AP)
Myanmar Military Government Accuses Rebels of Firing on Passenger Plane
Military council spokesperson Major General Zaw Min Tun claimed rebels from the Karenni National Progressive Party fired at a passenger plane as it was landing in Loikaw, injuring one passenger; the group has denied the allegation (AP)
Aung San Suu Kyi Sentenced to Additional Three Years in Prison
A military-controlled court sentenced the country’s former civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to three more years in prison; Suu Kyi’s economic advisor, an Australian man, also received a three-year sentence. It is unclear if he will be jailed or deported (Bloomberg)
Retired Military Officer Assassinated by Anti-Government Militants
Retired high-ranking army officer and former ambassador Ohn Thwin and his son-in-law Ye Tay Za were shot by militants from the urban guerilla group Inya Urban Force as a show of opposition to military rule (AP)
Soldiers Attack School in Myanmar, Kills Eleven Children
Soldiers fired rockets on a school in the Let Yet Kone village in central Myanmar on September 16, claiming it had been harboring members of the People’s Defense Forces, a group of resistance fighters (NYT)
Cross-Border Shelling Raises Tensions Between Myanmar and Bangladesh
Cross-border shelling by the Myanmar military has raised tensions between the countries and sparked concerns of a new exodus of Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh, Al Jazeera reported (Al Jazeera)
U.S. Announces $170 Million in Aid for Rohingya Muslims
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the provision of an additional $170 million in humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya Muslim population in Myanmar and Bangladesh, bringing the total amount of U.S. assistance to $1.9 billion since 2017 (Reuters)
In addition, the Biden administration announced the extension of temporary legal status for people immigrating to the U.S. to May 25, 2024, expanding eligibility to an additional 2,290 immigrants (AP)
Chinese Energy Companies Pushing Myanmar Military to Buy Russian Gas
A memo obtained by Frontier Myanmar showed that three Chinese energy companies urged Myanmar’s military government to buy Russian liquified natural gas in July (Frontier Myanmar)
UN Human Rights Expert Calls for Immediate Action in Myanmar
Speaking to the UN Human Rights Council, Special Rapporteur on Myanmar Tom Andrews called for the immediate mobilization of member states to aid the people of Myanmar as the crisis continues to worsen under the junta (UN News)
Junta Troops Kill Eleven Children at Temple School
UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned an attack by military forces that killed eleven children at a school in a rebel-held area (UN News)
Junta Threatens Jail Sentences for Supporting Resistance Content on Social Media
Myanmar’s military junta threatened jail sentences of up to ten-years for liking and reposting social media content from the National Unity Government (NUG) or its armed affiliates, the People’s Defence Forces (PDF), which the junta has labeled a “terrorist” resistance movement (Reuters)
Myanmar Broadens Use of Russian Ruble
To decrease dependence on the dollar, Myanmar will use the barter system and rubles to buy Russian fertilizer and oil, a spokesperson for Myanmar’s military government said (Bloomberg)
UN Investigators: Crimes Against Humanity Have Intensified Under Myanmar’s Junta
In their latest report, investigators denounced the revival of the death penalty in Myanmar following the execution of four pro-democracy activists in July (UN News)
Myanmar Generals Barred from ASEAN Meetings Until Peace Plan Progress
Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) banned Myanmar’s ruling generals from meetings until they make progress on the Five-Point Consensus peace deal signed in 2021 (Al Jazeera)
Myanmar Junta Charges Japanese Journalist With Stoking Dissent
The junta charged Japanese journalist Toru Kubota with breaching Myanmar’s immigration law and encouraging dissent against the military; Kubota was detained over the weekend while covering an anti-governmennt rally in Yangon (France 24)
Myanmar Extends Emergency Rule
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, head of Myanmar’s military government, said the junta will continue to govern under emergency powers for at least six more months (BBC)
Myanmar Junta Executes Four Pro-Democracy Activists
Myanmar’s first executions in decades defied international appeals for restraint; two of the four men killed were convicted of terrorism and the other two were convicted of killing an alleged military informant (Washington Post)
Meanwhile, a Myanmar court ruled there was sufficient evidence for ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s bribery trial to proceed (ABC)
Amnesty Investigation Reveals Myanmar Military Use of Banned Landmines
An Amnesty International investigation found that the Myanmar military is committing war crimes by laying banned antipersonnel landmines in Kayah State (Amnesty International)
Russia to Deepen Defense Cooperation with Myanmar
Russia has announced that it will deepen defense cooperation with Myanmar, having supplied the Myanmar junta government with drones, fighter jets, and armored vehicles earlier this year; this announcement comes as a UN investigation has detailed war crimes committed by the junta (Reuters)
Myanmar’s military government is installing Chinese-built cameras with facial-recognition capabilities in at least five cities, expanding upon the cameras’ installation by the previous civilian government in other cities (Reuters)
Myanmar Hosts First High-Level Diplomatic Meeting Since 2021 Coup
Myanmar’s military government hosted envoys from Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam for a meeting of the China-led Lancang-Mekong Cooperation group (Associated Press)
Deposed Myanmar President Aung San Suu Kyi Sent to Solitary Confinement
Deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been transferred by military authorities to solitary confinement in prison after being held in an undisclosed location since her ousting last year; she faces a guilty verdict carrying four years in the first of nearly twenty criminal offenses rulings to come (NBC)
Myanmar Government Says Calls to Halt High-Profile Executions Abet Terrorism
In response to calls from foreign governments and the United Nations to halt the executions of activist Ko Jimmy and former legislator Phyo Zeya Thaw, the government of Myanmar accused the foreign bodies of abetting terrorism (Al Jazeera)
Pro-Military Militias Target Myanmar’s Opposition
Pro-military militias killed fourteen members or supporters of the National League for Democracy party between April 21 and May 5, the party said (Al Jazeera)