Myanmar | DD News

January 4, 2026 11:17 AM

Myanmar to free 6,186 prisoners in Independence Day amnesty during election

Myanmar's military government will release 6,186 prisoners under an amnesty marking Independence Day, state media said on Saturday, a week after a multi-stage general election began in the impoverished Southeast Asian nation. The amnesty, which includes 52 foreigners, is a humanitarian gesture that takes into consideration the public's peace of mind, state-run MRTV said. The junta also reduced sentences by one-sixth nationwide, excluding for those convicted of serious crimes such as murder, ra...

December 3, 2025 10:11 AM

Myanmar’s opium poppy cultivation hits highest level in a decade, UN says

Opium poppy cultivation in war-torn Myanmar has surged to its highest level in a decade, rising 17% in the past year as conflict and economic hardship push more farmers into the illicit trade, the United Nations said on Wednesday. Poppy cultivation climbed to 53,100 hectares (205.02 square miles) this year from 45,200 hectares in 2024, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in a report, underlining Myanmar's position as the world's main known source of illicit opium amid declining prod...

November 11, 2025 12:12 PM

Malaysia, Thailand resume search for missing Rohingya after deadly boat sinking

Malaysian and Thai authorities on Tuesday resumed their search for dozens of people missing at sea, days after a boat carrying members of Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority sank near the border between the two countries, killing at least 21. Thirteen survivors have been rescued in Malaysian waters since Saturday, while 12 were found dead, including two children, Malaysia's maritime agency told reporters on Monday. Romli Mustafa, regional director at the agency, said his counterparts...

November 10, 2025 2:14 PM

Malaysia steps up search for missing Rohingya boats, at least 11 dead

Malaysian maritime patrols scoured coastal waters in the Andaman Sea on Monday in search of dozens of missing members of Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya minority who police believe were on a boat that capsized and sank, killing at least 11 people. Hundreds of Rohingya boarded a vessel towards Malaysia two weeks ago, before being split into groups and sent to two boats on Thursday, said Khairul Azhar Nuruddin, police chief on Malaysia's northern Langkawi island, from where search operations are co...

November 9, 2025 12:48 PM

Migrant vessel sinks off Malaysia-Thailand border, hundreds missing

Hundreds were missing on Sunday after a boat sank near the Thailand-Malaysia border, as 10 survivors and one body were recovered, the Malaysian maritime authority said. More victims might still be found at sea some three days after the sinking of the vessel, which left Buthidaung, Myanmar, with about 300 people on board, said First Admiral Romli Mustafa, the maritime authority director of the northern Malaysian states of Kedah and Perlis. Among the survivors found in the waters off Langkawi we...

October 23, 2025 4:58 PM

Nearly 700 people flee to Thailand after Myanmar scam centre raid

Nearly 700 foreigners have fled Myanmar and crossed into Thailand, the Thai army said on Thursday, following a military operation against the Chinese-backed KK Park, a notorious cybercrime compound. Thailand has detained 677 people, including 618 men and 59 women, after they crossed the border into Tak province, it said in a statement. Myanmar's military has taken control of KK Park and is inspecting the area, driving a large number of people into Thailand, the statement said. The people are ...

October 16, 2025 5:36 PM

Myanmar elections unlikely to see credible outcome, EU human rights rep says

The European Union's Special Representative for Human Rights Kajsa Ollongren said on Thursday that the grouping had no plans to send observers to an election in military-ruled Myanmar, as it was unlikely to result in a credible outcome. Critics - including many Western nations - have described the election due to start in late December as a sham exercise aimed at legitimising the Myanmar junta's rule after it overthrew a civilian democratic government in 2021. Ollongren said the necessary cond...

October 15, 2025 3:42 PM

Myanmar junta chief admits election won’t be nationwide, as war continues

Myanmar's junta chief acknowledged on Wednesday that the military-backed administration will be unable to conduct an upcoming general election across the entire country, as a civil war triggered by a 2021 coup rages on. Critics and many Western nations view the election - due to start in late December and the first since the coup - as a sham exercise to legitimise the military's rule via proxy political parties. Dozens of anti-junta parties are either banned or refusing to take part. The South...

October 10, 2025 2:39 PM

Myanmar’s junta says Malaysia to send observers for contentious polls

Malaysia will send observer teams for Myanmar's contentious general election, set to be held in phases from December 28, state media said on Friday, a day after talks between the leader of the ruling junta and Kuala Lumpur's top diplomat. Myanmar has been in turmoil since a 2021 military coup that overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and triggered an armed rebellion that has led to large parts of the country slipping out of the junta's control. "He advised that the election sho...

August 25, 2025 4:01 PM

Bangladesh runs out of resources for Rohingya refugees

Bangladesh has no scope to allocate more resources for its 1.3 million Rohingya refugees, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said on Monday, urging the international community to find a sustainable solution to the crisis. Children make up half the 1.3 million Rohingya refugees now living in Bangladesh, most of whom fled a brutal 2017 military crackdown in Buddhist-majority Myanmar that U.N. investigators called a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing". Hosting the refugees has put a huge strain on B...