Tag: military

Myanmar rebels claim military helicopter downing

YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — yanmaA leading Myanmar ethnic rebel army said it had shot down a military helicopter on Monday, a day after a renewed junta crackdown on anti-coup protests left at least five civilians dead. The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) said it downed the helicopter gunship during fierce clashes near the town of Momauk in the country’s far north. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi […]

Myanmar junta launches fresh air raids in rebel territory

BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Myanmar’s military launched air assaults for the second day in a row into rebel-held territory after gunfire was heard from neighbouring Thailand, a Thai official said Wednesday, as fighting escalates along the border. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the junta ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 1 coup, its power grab angering much of its population. The anti-junta movement has also garnered some support from some […]

Myanmar junta wants ‘stability’ before heeding pleas on violence

YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar’s junta said Tuesday it will heed regional pleas to stop violence only when the coup-hit country “returns to stability”, as fresh fighting erupted with a major ethnic rebel group along its eastern border. The nation has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 1 coup, triggering an uprising that has seen security forces mount deadly crackdowns against protesters. The violence — […]

Myanmar shadow govt welcomes ASEAN call to end violence

  YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar’s shadow government of ousted lawmakers has welcomed a call by Southeast Asian leaders for an end to “military violence” after their crisis talks in Jakarta with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing. The general attended a high-level summit Saturday with leaders from the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to discuss Myanmar’s mounting crisis. Since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 1 coup, […]

Myanmar military cracks down on protesters as junta leader in summit

  YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar’s military cracked down on anti-coup protesters on Saturday, killing at least one according to a witness, as the junta leader sat down with heads of states in a regional summit over the violence. The country has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup, triggering a mass uprising from all corners of Myanmar society demanding a return to democracy. Cities, rural […]

Myanmar crisis summit a test for ASEAN’s credibility: Thailand

YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — A weekend summit on the Myanmar coup crisis will be a test for ASEAN’s credibility and unity, a senior Thai official said Thursday, amid an escalating death toll and violence across its western border. Security forces in Myanmar have killed at least 739 people since a February 1 military coup ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, according to a local monitoring group. The Myanmar military has stepped up the use […]

Junta attacks displace nearly 250,000 people in Myanmar: UN envoy

YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — The Myanmar military junta’s crackdown on anti-coup protesters has displaced close to a quarter of a million people, a United Nations rights envoy said Wednesday. The military has stepped up its use of lethal force to quash mass demonstrations against a February 1 coup which ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. At least 738 people have been killed and 3,300 are languishing in jails as political prisoners, according to a […]

Japan urges release of journalist in Myanmar

YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Japan urged Myanmar authorities on Monday to release from prison a Japanese journalist accused of spreading fake news, one of at least 65 reporters arrested during the junta’s crackdown on anti-coup protests. The military has ramped up its attempts to crush dissent following mass demonstrations against its ousting of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, with at least 737 civilians killed and the press increasingly under attack. Yuki Kitazumi was detained […]

UN fears Myanmar heading towards Syria-style ‘full-blown conflict’

by Nina LARSON GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The UN rights chief warned Tuesday of possible crimes against humanity in Myanmar and said it seemed to be heading towards a massive conflict like the one ravaging Syria. In a statement, the UN rights office urged countries to take immediate and decisive action to push the military leaders behind a February 1 coup in Myanmar to stop their “campaign of repression and slaughter of its people.” “I […]

Myanmar’s post-coup civilian death toll climbs past 700

YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — A security guard was wounded in a bomb blast outside a military-owned bank in Myanmar’s second-biggest city Sunday morning, as the civilian death toll from the junta’s brutal crackdown on dissent topped more than 700 at the weekend. The country has been in turmoil since the military removed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1. Myawaddy Bank’s biggest branch in Mandalay was targeted on Sunday morning and a security […]

‘Deepest wreck dive’ reaches US WWII ship off Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — A US navy destroyer sunk during World War II and lying nearly 6,500 meters below sea level off the Philippines has been reached in the world’s deepest shipwreck dive, an American exploration team said. A crewed submersible filmed, photographed and surveyed the wreckage of the USS Johnston off Samar Island during two eight-hour dives completed late last month, Texas-based undersea technology company Caladan Oceanic said. The 115-metre-long ship was sunk on […]

Junta says Suu Kyi broke secrets law, international pressure rises

YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar’s ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been accused of breaking a colonial-era official secrets law, her lawyer said, as Britain ramped up sanctions against the junta and the UN Security Council condemned the deaths of hundreds of civilians. The newly unveiled charge came amid growing international outrage over the February 1 coup and the military’s subsequent clampdown on protesters that has left at least 535 people dead. After […]