MYANMAR – MALAYSIA
The Myanmar Embassy in Malaysia has announced that 102 Burmese nationals will be repatriated to Myanmar from the detention centres in Melaka and Lenggeng on Myanmar National Airlines flights. The measure had already been announced, but confirmation has now been given. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has reported that detainees in Myanmar are victims of torture, sexual violence and medical neglect, which puts their lives at risk; the NGO has highlighted the chronic ill-treatment suffered by thousands of detainees in a country ravaged by five years of war.
CHINA – UNITED STATES
Today Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington begins (23–25 September): it is his first in ten years. Xi and Trump are meeting after China and the US have eased the tensions that followed last year’s trade war, during which China blocked supplies of critical minerals. Now the two leaders are witnessing a rise in tensions over AI, trade and Iran, but are said to be aiming for stability. No agreement is expected, but at the very least – in their third meeting since Trump returned to the White House – an attempt will be made to stabilise the fragile relations.
INDONESIA
The Indonesian Parliament has passed a law aimed at resolving land disputes, establishing a government body under the president’s authority. The law sets out the priorities for land reform to tackle inequalities in land ownership and control, land disputes, abandoned land and poverty. An agency responsible for agrarian reform will be established, reporting directly to the president and tasked with land-use planning, land monitoring and the resolution of agrarian conflicts.
SRI LANKA
Relatives of victims of enforced disappearances during the civil war and human rights activists have urged the Sri Lankan government to set up an independent commission to ensure justice and compensation. The call was reiterated during an event held yesterday in memory of the victims of enforced disappearances and killings, at the J. D. A. Perera Gallery of the University of Visual and Performing Arts, Colombo. The event, entitled “Bodies, Politics and Memory”, was organised by the human rights group Families of the Disappeared (FoD). According to the activists, between 60,000 and 100,000 people disappeared during the government’s crackdown on the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led insurgency in the 1980s.
TURKEY – ISRAEL
Eight nations have urged Israel to immediately fulfil its outstanding commitments under the first phase of the Gaza peace plan. The nations are Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of these predominantly Muslim nations expressed “deep concern over the ongoing humanitarian suffering in Gaza”.
They urged Israel “to immediately fulfil its outstanding commitments under the first phase of the Comprehensive Plan, including by ensuring the immediate, safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid and supplies for initial recovery”.
RUSSIA – UKRAINE
Since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, there have been at least 1,004 cases of sexual violence against civilians. This figure was cited by the United Nations Human Rights Committee in a report published on 18 September. The actual number of cases could be much higher, as the monitoring group spoke only to victims willing to share their experiences and only in territories controlled by Ukraine. In the report, ‘sexual violence’ refers to both rape itself and other violent acts of a sexual nature.
KAZAKHSTAN
Since the start of 2026, around 2 million young Kazakhs have taken part in environmental campaigns, and more than 2,000 youth events have taken place across the country, as reported by the Minister of Information, Arman Kyrykbaev, during a government meeting chaired by Olžas Bektenov. The environmental movement is growing not only through mass events but also thanks to support for public initiatives: there are currently around 60 social projects underway with government backing, 34 of which are dedicated to environmental issues.
