3 d. ago Myanmar releases 6,000 prisoners in New Year’s amnesty but no sign of Aung San Suu Kyi

In a separate announcement, the authorities said 52 foreign nationals would also be released and deported

Events

4 d. ago Myanmar's military government releases more than 6,100 prisoners on independence anniversary

Myanmar’s military government has granted amnesty to more than 6,100 prisoners and has reduced other inmates’ sentences to mark the 78th anniversary of the country's independence from Britain

Events

4 d. ago Myanmar junta fails in bid to force high turnout for sham elections

Military-backed party claims victory in first phase of widely discredited three-part general election, with turnout down by some 18%

Politics

6 d. ago ‘We are always living in fear’: inside Myanmar’s ‘sham’ election

Myanmar’s military rulers are holding the first elections since the 2021 coup, and life in the country’s biggest city is fraught with anxiety Yangon feels, on the surface, like a normal, bustling city. In downtown areas, commuters stream past roadside sellers and diners perch beneath parasols. Packed buses and cars chug along the roads. At sunset, young people stop to pose for photos opposite the famous Sule pagoda, as it gleams against a pink-blue sky.But almost five years on from the military seized power in a coup, ousting and imprisoning then de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, life for local people feels anything but stable. Myanmar’s military rulers are in the process of holding the first elections since before the coup, a vote that the junta has touted as a return to democracy and stability. The UN and western governments have called the process, which will be held in three phases ending on 25 January, a sham. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Polls close in first phase of Myanmar elections widely condemned as a sham

Turnout appears to be low in vote in which most candidates seen as allies of military junta and large areas excluded by warPolls have closed in conflict-racked Myanmar, ending the first phase of an election that has been widely condemned as a sham designed to legitimise the military junta’s rule.The military has touted the vote as a return to democracy almost five years after it seized power in a coup, ousting the country’s then de-facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, detaining her and sparking a spiralling civil war. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Myanmar elections: voting begins under junta stranglehold with Aung San Suu Kyi banned

War with opposition groups means large areas are excluded from poll, while recent law prohibits criticising a process regarded internationally as a shamPolling stations have opened in some areas of conflict-racked Myanmar for an election that has been widely condemned as a sham designed to legitimise the military junta’s rule.The most popular party is banned from running in the election, and large areas of the country will be completely excluded because they are under the control of anti-junta groups or racked by fierce fighting. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Myanmar votes in sham election under atmosphere of fear and coercion: ‘What will change? Nothing’

With only parties vetted by the military allowed to contest Myanmar’s first election in five years, Sara Perria speaks to people in Yangon and Mandalay who are heading out to vote because they are being forced – not out of any hope for a better future

Politics

1 week ago Yvette Cooper leads push to free Aung San Suu Kyi as Myanmar elections begin

The UN has warned the military-controlled election is unfolding amid violence, intimidation and arrests. The country’s former leader has not been heard from in two years

Politics

1 week ago GLIMPSES: Prepping polling machines ahead of Myanmar's weekend election

Before the polls comes the preparation

Politics

1 week ago Myanmar will hold its first general election in 5 years as criticism of the military rule mounts

Myanmar will hold the first phase of a general election on Sunday, its first vote in five years and an election framed by the ruling military as a return to multi-party democracy

Events

3 w. ago Myanmar's military government charge hundreds with breaking election law as voting date nears

Myanmar's military government has charged over 200 people with violating the country's strict election law ahead of a general election at the end of this month

Politics

3 w. ago Aung San Suu Kyi’s son calls on Myanmar junta to provide proof she is alive and well

Aung San Suu Kyi’s son challenged Myanmar’s junta to provide proof of his mother’s wellbeing after the military claimed the imprisoned former leader was in good health despite not being seen or heard from in over two years.

Politics

3 w. ago Aung San Suu Kyi’s son says jailed Myanmar leader not seen for years and ‘could be dead already’

Kim Aris says no one has heard from his 80-year-old mother, who has been suffering an array of health issues in her old age, in two years

Events

4 w. ago Critics of army rule in Myanmar stage a silent strike against upcoming election

Opponents of military rule in Myanmar have staged a joint protest calling on people to stay indoors to show they are boycotting elections scheduled for late this month

Politics