Myanmar Rebel Group Reports Seizure of Rare Earth Mining Hub
The anti-junta Kachin Independence Army said it took control of the town of Panwa, an area that sends rare earth minerals to China; last month the conflict interrupted such exports, according to one analyst (Reuters)
Mining areas in the region were previously under the control of a militia group allied with Myanmar’s junta (RFA)
China Lodges Official Protest to Myanmar Authorities After Attack on Mandalay Consulate
China has urged rebel groups and the government to reach a resolution in their civil war, ongoing since 2021 (SCMP, Reuters)
ASEAN Leaders Call for Immediate Halt to Myanmar Civil War
Myanmar’s humanitarian crisis is affecting an estimated 18.6 million people (Reuters)
Thailand Offers to Hold Consultations on Myanmar Crisis as ASEAN Summit Kicks Off
Thailand proposed Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries hold informal talks in December on Myanmar’s political crisis, given the low progress on the bloc’s previous approach to Myanmar (VOA)
Leaders of ASEAN nations are also discussing broader economic and security relations at a summit in Laos today; top diplomats from the United States and China are set to attend (Reuters)
Thai Prime Minister Reemphasizes ASEAN Role in Ending Myanmar Civil War
Prime Minister Shinawatra’s statement comes as Myanmar’s military junta refuses to engage with ASEAN, accusing it of being composed of terrorists “bent on destroying the country;” ASEAN, in turn, has barred the junta from its summits for not adhering to the agreed peace plan (Reuters)
Thailand: Myanmar Civil War Fueling Drug Trade
There has been an increase in illegal drugs trafficked from Myanmar amid the country’s civil war, a senior Thai counternarcotics official said, adding that despite rising seizures at the border, the falling price of methamphetamine pills in Thailand suggests many of the drugs are slipping past authorities (Reuters)
Myanmar’s Junta Invites Rebels to Peace Talks
The junta released a statement inviting ethnic rebel and pro-democracy armed groups to “communicate with us to solve political problems politically;” The head of one rebel group said that talks were possible if the military agreed to conditions, such as a commitment not to participate in future politics (AFP)
Thailand Has Backing of ASEAN and India to Liaise With Both Sides of Myanmar’s Conflict to Repair Highway Damaged in Fighting
Thailand’s foreign minister also said that ASEAN chair Laos had asked Thailand to host a regional meeting on Myanmar before the end of the year to discuss peace “through constructive dialogue” (Reuters)
OHCR: At Least 5,350 Civilians Killed Since 2021 Coup, Primarily Due to Military Violence
Of those deaths, 2,414 occurred between April 2023 and June 2024, reflecting an emerging uptick in the pace of civilian casualties; the UN human rights commissioner called for the situation to be referred to the International Criminal Court in a new report (OHCHR,Reuters)
Red Cross Negotiates With Myanmar’s Warring Parties Over Potential Aid Corridor
The International Committee of the Red Cross’s leader said it is in negotiations with the country’s military, rebels, and neighboring countries about opening a humanitarian corridor into the country; about a third of Myanmar’s 55 million people are in need of aid in the country’s conflict that has been raging since 2021 (Reuters)
Around Eight Thousand Rohingya Muslims Have Fled to Bangladesh due to Violence in Rakhine State
Bangladesh’s de facto foreign minister said the government will hold a cabinet meeting this week to discuss the recent arrivals given the country’s strained capacity to take them in (Reuters)
Myanmar Junta Unveils Plans for Preelection Census
The country’s military government will collect census data between October 1 and 15 as a precursor to holding an election, state media reported; the junta has pledged to hold a vote since it took power in February 2021 but has repeatedly delayed its plans (The Diplomat)
Myanmar Junta on Brink of Defeat in the Rakhine State
The country’s military appears to be on the verge of losing the westernmost Rakhine state to rebels, a new report by the International Crisis Group said yesterday; it would be one of the army’s biggest losses of the ongoing civil war (Bloomberg; ICG)
Bangladesh’s Yunus Vows Support for Rohingya Refugees in First Big Policy Speech
Interim Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus pledged to protect the country’s Rohingya refugee population of more than one million; he also called for support from the international community (AFP)
Chinese Foreign Minister Meets Myanmar Junta Leader
Wang Yi urged Myanmar to seek “political reconciliation” and get back on track with its democratic transition in yesterday’s meeting, according to the Chinese readout; the appearance of the junta’s head of command, Min Aung Hlaing, at the meeting dispelled some rumors he had been toppled (Nikkei)
Attacks near the China-Myanmar border in Myanmar’s civil war have stoked concerns in Beijing (AP)
Ruling Junta Announces It Lost Contact With Regional Military Headquarters in Lashio
The junta also acknowledged the city near the border with China was taken over by rebels; there are only fourteen such regional command centers in the country (NYT)
Myanmar Military Strikes City Near Chinese Border
Local media reported the government airstrikes killed ten civilians, and a rebel spokesperson said a strike hit a hospital; the ruling military junta did not immediately comment (AFP)
A rebel alliance took the city of Laukkai in January (Reuters)
Myanmar Junta Extends State of Emergency Rule for Six Months
The government cited “acts of terrorist and ethnic armed groups” as it stretched the emergency rule that has been in place since the country’s 2021 coup for the sixth time (Bloomberg)
Militarily, the junta has been on the back foot in recent months; a group of former United Nations experts calculated in late May that rebels controlled at least 86 percent of the country’s territory (Al Jazeera)
Myanmar Rebels Report Seizure of Military Facility Near Border With China
The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, one of the country’s armed rebel groups, said it took control of a major regional military headquarters near the border with China today; a spokesperson for the ruling military junta did not immediately comment (Reuters)
Fighting in the area has escalated after recent cease-fire talks brokered by China fell through (AP)
Indonesian Foreign Minister Criticizes Myanmar’s Warring Parties for Refusing to Agree to Dialogue
ASEAN’s efforts to put forward a peace plan in Myanmar have thus far been unsuccessful, but foreign ministers recommitted to the plan at a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Laos (Reuters,Straits Times)
Head of Military Junta Assumes Acting Presidential Duties While President Is on Medical Leave
The move comes more than a week before the junta decides on whether to extend emergency rule in the country, which is still engulfed in civil war (Bloomberg)
UN: Myanmar Regime Shifts From Singapore to Thai Banks for Arms Financing
Thailand-registered companies transferred more than $120 million worth of military equipment to Myanmar’s regime last year, up from $60 million in 2022, according to a new report from the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar (UN)
Procurement through Singapore dropped sharply, reflecting a crackdown by the Singapore government; the Thai government does not have an explicit policy opposing the transfer of weapons to Myanmar, but the report said that adopting one would “significantly” impair the regime’s ability to attack people in Myanmar (Nikkei)
Bangladesh, China Talk Rohingya Refugees Ahead of Bilateral Visit
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will visit China early next month, the Bangladeshi government announced (Dhaka Tribune)
She called for China to help return Rohingya refugees to Myanmar during a visit by a Chinese senior official (UNB)
Protestors Demonstrate to Mark Aung San Suu Kyi’s Birthday
The pro-democracy leader was detained by the military junta in 2021 and is serving a twenty-seven-year sentence for opposing military rule (AP)
Thousands of Rohingya Feared Trapped in Western Myanmar Town
Thousands of Rohingya are feared to be trapped in a town on the border with Bangladesh as the armed rebel group Arakan Army announced a planned attack on junta positions in the town; civilians were warned to evacuate by 9 p.m., but most have not left as routes outside of the city are blocked (Reuters)