Junta Announces It Will Hold an Election in December 2025 or January 2026
It will be the first vote since the military government seized power in a 2021 coup; critics such as Human Rights Watch have questioned whether the vote would be considered “credible” given the government’s detentions and dissolution of opposition parties (BBC)
Myanmar’s Junta Chief Visits Moscow for the Fourth Time Since 2021 Coup
During his trip, the two countries reaffirmed their economic and security cooperation; Russia is a critical arms supplier for the junta’s fight against insurgents (AP)
They also agreed to jointly produce a small-scale nuclear power plant in Myanmar (Reuters)
The World Bank has projected that Myanmar’s economy shrank 1 percent over the past year (Bloomberg)
General Min Aung Hlaing Visits Putin in Moscow
The visit by Myanmar’s military leader aims to strengthen strategic cooperation, particularly through economic ties and security support (AP)
Thousands of Freed Scam Center Workers Remain in Myanmar Near Thai Border
After authorities rescued up to ten thousand foreign nationals from scam centers in Myanmar, around seven thousand remain in limbo in areas held by armed ethnic groups near the Thai border and in conditions that lack sanitation and healthcare; Thai officials stated they cannot accept more foreign nationals until the embassies of their respective countries repatriate them (Reuters)
Russia Agrees to Build New Port and Oil Refinery in Myanmar
The planned investment will take place in the Dawei Special Economic Zone, signaling the continued strengthening of economic and energy cooperation between Russia and Myanmar’s military government (Reuters)
More Than One Thousand Chinese Nationals Repatriated From Myanmar Scam Centers
The victims, believing they found authentic job opportunities, were instead recruited and trafficked to Myanmar, where local managers coerced them into working in online scam centers; Beijing organized charter flights for the return of the Chinese nationals, and authorities stated that they rescued up to ten thousand individuals from over twenty nations from these centers just last week (NPR)
Military Junta Releases Around One Thousand Rohingya Prisoners
Though Naypyidaw has not yet commented on the release, it comes after an Argentinian court issued arrest warrants for leaders of the junta based on crimes committed during the 2017 crackdowns on Rohingya villages (RFA)
Junta Pauses Permits for Overseas Work and Widens Restrictions on Young Men Traveling Abroad
Last April, Myanmar enacted a conscription law to fill its ranks fighting rebels in the country’s civil war; it has gradually closed loopholes for men aged eighteen to thirty-five in an effort to stop people from avoiding military conscription (Nikkei)
Thailand Cuts Power Supply to Myanmar Border Areas to Inhibit Scam Centers
Bangkok stated that scam centers threaten the security of its tourism sector, particularly due to cases of Chinese tourists and nationals being trafficked from Thailand to Myanmar; despite electricity cuts to local communities, some centers reportedly continue to operate on generators (Reuters)
President Trump Extends Executive Order of National Emergency for Myanmar
The U.S. President’s declaration allows for a one-year continuation of Biden-era sanctions against Myanmar’s military junta and key economic sectors, such as jet fuel and state-owned banks (Radio Free Asia)
Myanmar’s Junta Extends State of Emergency for Six Months
State-run media justified the decision as necessary to ensure “stability and peace” in preparation for general elections later this year (Reuters)
Myanmar Junta’s Plan for Vote Raises Concerns
The junta intends to hold an election later this year but only plans to set up voting in 160–170 of the country’s 330 townships, an unnamed source told Reuters; several opposition groups are banned from the ballot already, leading critics to preemptively call the vote a sham (Reuters)
The junta has been under international pressure to hold a vote since taking over in 2021, but ongoing hostilities against rebels have led international partners to caution that peace should come first (Reuters)
Hospitals Serving Myanmar Refugees Ordered to Close After U.S. Aid Freeze
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) funds the hospitals on the Thai-Myanmar border with U.S. backing (Irrawaddy)
IRC told them to close by Friday, an unnamed local official and sources at refugee camps told Reuters; last week, President Donald Trump ordered a halt on U.S. foreign aid (Reuters)
China Brokers Cease-fire Between Myanmar’s Military and Rebel Group Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army
The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) said it had taken over a military base near the Chinese border last July (Reuters)
Myanmar Junta Strikes Village in Rakhine
The military government struck a village in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state, killing dozens and destroying five hundred homes, the United Nations and Myanmar’s shadow government in exile said. The junta has in the past claimed that it only targets “terrorists” (Reuters)
Military Government Strikes Village in Western Rakhine State
The United Nations and Myanmar’s shadow government in exile said the strike killed dozens and destroyed five hundred homes; the junta has claimed in the past that it only targets “terrorists” (Reuters)
Myanmar Junta Frees Thousands of Prisoners
The government granted amnesty for 5,864 imprisoned Myanmar nationals and 180 foreigners facing deportation in honor of the country’s independence day, state television reported; mass prisoner releases often mark holidays in the country (AP)
Only a small portion of people detained for opposing military rule were released (Guardian)
Myanmar Junta Talks Plan for 2025 Vote at Regional Meeting
The military government said it is on track to hold elections next year while at a meeting in Bangkok, though it has delayed past pledges to hold a vote; senior officials from Bangladesh, China, India, and Laos also attended the meeting in Thailand (Bloomberg)
Reuters: Junta Has Detained and Pressured Aid Workers, Researchers to Discourage Them From Publicizing Myanmar’s Hunger Crisis
In recent weeks, the leading hunger watchdog the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) removed Myanmar from its list of world hunger designations; the junta did not comment (Reuters)
Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army Declares Unilateral Ceasefire
The MNDAA rebel group has called for Chinese-mediated talks with Myanmar’s ruling military government; the MNDAA’s announcement coincides with the Ta’ang National Liberation Army’s (TNLA) declaration of readiness for peace negotiations (AP)
Reuters: Thousands of Rohingya Refugees Have Returned to Fight in Myanmar’s Civil War
Many Rohingya are reportedly fighting on the side of the junta, which denied conscripting Muslims in a statement (Reuters)
UN Warns of Famine Risk in Myanmar’s Rakhine State
Two million people in the state could face starvation by 2025 if current conditions continue, a UN official said; the UN Development Program cited in a new report that the ongoing war and humanitarian aid restrictions were blocking access to support (The Guardian)
Chinese Officials Voice Support for Myanmar Military Government’s Plan to Hold Elections Next Year
Opposition groups have been barred from participating or refused to take part in the election (Reuters)
Myanmar Junta, Rebels Step Up International Contacts
Myanmar’s military leader is visiting China today for the first time since the junta took over in February 2021; rebel forces’ advance in Myanmar in recent months has alarmed China, which has closed parts of the border and stifled goods flowing to the country (Reuters)
Meanwhile, a representative of Myanmar’s shadow government said at a joint press conference with rebel groups that India had begun to reach out to multiple stakeholders—including the rebels—in Myanmar for talks on the conflict (Bloomberg)
Canada, European Union, United Kingdom Impose New Sanctions on Entities Supplying Junta With War Equipment
The sanctions cover equipment like aviation fuel and funds; more than 3.4 million people have been displaced by fighting in the country, the UK said (AFP,VOA)