The world risks a “great fracture” of its economic and financial systems, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said on Thursday at a summit with Southeast Asia’s ASEAN bloc, China, the United States and others in Indonesia. In a wide-ranging speech that touched on geopolitical tension, multilateral development finance and climate change, …
Read More »Ex-UN head Ban Ki-moon urges army to end Myanmar violence
Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged Myanmar’s ruling military to take the initiative in finding a way out of the country’s violent political crisis, including releasing political detainees, after a surprise meeting with the army leader who seized power two years ago. Ban met Monday in the Myanmar …
Read More »Malaysia’s prime minister claims over 200,000 refugees have fled to his country from Burma
Malaysia’s leader is calling for Burma’s ruling generals to resolve the civil conflict Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Wednesday that more than 200,000 refugees have fled Burma to his country and urgently called for new ways to persuade Burma’s ruling generals to resolve the civil conflict. Anwar and his …
Read More »Myanmar junta chief excluded from summit: ASEAN
A Southeast Asia summit this month will invite a non-political representative from Myanmar, Brunei said on Saturday, sidelining the leader of the military junta in an unprecedented move for the group. The decision by foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), at an emergency meeting on Friday …
Read More »Trial of ousted Myanmar leader Suu Kyi taking toll on her health: Lawyer
Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s health has suffered from her frequent appearances before a court run by the military junta that deposed her government, her lawyer said Monday. Suu Kyi went on trial in June, four months after she was taken into custody in a coup that plunged …
Read More »Protests break out against ruling Myanmar military on anniversary of 1988 uprising
Protests against Myanmar’s military government broke out across the nation on Sunday, the anniversary of the bloody suppression of a 1988 uprising against a previous army junta. At least six separate protests were documented on Facebook pages of opponents of the military, which seized power from the elected government six …
Read More »New envoy to crisis-torn Myanmar calls for full access to all parties
A special envoy to Myanmar appointed by Southeast Asia’s regional bloc to help resolve the coup-hit country’s political crisis called Saturday for full access to all parties when he visits. Brunei Second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof was named to the role this week by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations …
Read More »Blinken expresses US concern about China’s growing nuclear arsenal
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed deep concern about China’s growing nuclear arsenal during a meeting with foreign ministers of Asian countries and partner nations, the State Department said on Friday. Addressing a virtual meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which groups more than two dozen countries, Blinken …
Read More »Myanmar’s UN envoy reveals purported massacre by the junta
Myanmar’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Kyaw Moe Tun, who has refused to leave his post despite being fired after a coup in February, has revealed a purported massacre by the military regime. In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday, Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun said that …
Read More »Britain granted ‘dialogue partner’ status by Southeast Asian bloc
Britain has been granted “dialogue partner” status by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a step forward in London’s push to build stronger diplomatic ties in Asia following its exit from the European Union. Britain has been seeking the status as part of its post-Brexit policy shift to focus more …
Read More »Myanmar junta leader takes on prime minister role, repeats 2023 election pledge
Myanmar’s military ruler Min Aung Hlaing has taken on the role of prime minister in a newly formed caretaker government, state media reported on Sunday, six months after the army seized power from a civilian government. In a speech on Sunday, Min Aung Hlaing repeated a pledge to hold elections …
Read More »Suu Kyi’s trial set to start in Myanmar, junta rejects UN rights chief’s statement
The trial of Myanmar’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi was set to start on Monday, as the junta that overthrew her elected government rejected criticism by the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights over its use of deadly force against protesters. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the junta …
Read More »UN warns of ‘mass deaths’ in Myanmar after 100,000 flee fighting
UN says people fleeing military’s ‘brutal, indiscriminate attacks’ in eastern Kayah are in dire need of food and water. A United Nations rights expert has warned of “mass deaths from starvation, disease, and exposure” in eastern Myanmar after “brutal, indiscriminate attacks” by the military forced tens of thousands of people …
Read More »China, ASEAN foreign ministers agree to avoid provocations in South China Sea
Foreign ministers of Southeast Asia and China agreed during a meeting to exercise restraint in the South China Sea and avoid actions that could escalate tensions, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said on Tuesday. The ASEAN statement referred to a meeting on Monday in China of the ministers …
Read More »Clashes spread to Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady delta, several killed
At least three people were killed in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady River delta region on Saturday as the military junta’s forces clashed with villagers, local media and residents said, while fighting was also reported in northern and eastern Myanmar. The army has struggled to impose control since the army returned to power …
Read More »Indonesia says ASEAN must appoint Myanmar envoy immediately
Indonesia’s foreign minister called on Wednesday on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to immediately name an envoy to troubled Myanmar, more than a month after the bloc agreed on steps to try to end turmoil after a military coup. ASEAN is leading the main diplomatic effort on Myanmar …
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