Myanmar

At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, China refers to the general as the “acting president of Myanmar”, enhancing the military junta’s credentials. For its part, India plans to send a delegation to monitor Myanmar’s December elections, after signing several new economic agreements with its neighbour. Xi Jinping promised to admit Myanmar as a full SCO member, consolidating Myanmar's integration into Chinese-led regional platforms.

A demolition order was also served to 19 Buddhist sites in the city's "cultural zone," set to be razed to unearth ancient Ketumati. AsiaNews reports local Catholics are dismayed by the threat looming over the church dedicated to the Sacred Heart, built in the late 19th century by PIME missionaries. This is just the latest blow by the military to destroy places of worship. As many as 300 have been affected in Myanmar since the coup on 1 February 2021.

The vote is set to start on 28 December, and subsequent rounds in January. Currently, 55 parties have registered, nine ready to run countrywide. Humanitarian NGOs and the international community are highly critical of the vote, but China wants stability. Meanwhile, the humanitarian emergency is growing, particularly in Rakhine State, where the WFP warns that resources are in dire shortage.

General Min Aung Hlaing has launched the “National Security and Peace Commission” and at the same time imposed martial law in dozens of municipalities, adding to threats of the death penalty for those who boycott the upcoming elections. Citizens have received messages calling for armed surrender and participation in the polls.

The Trump administration is reportedly considering a partnership with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) to access rare earth deposits in northern Myanmar and reduce US reliance on China's monopoly. However, residents fear mining’s potential environmental impact and the risk of further fuelling the civil war. Kachin activists are calling on Washington to uphold strict standards and pursue sustainable solutions to avoid repeating the mistakes of others.

According to the Myanmar Bar Association, conscription violates human rights: “Crime against humanity”. Enacted by the junta in 2024, the controversial law was followed by an aggressive campaign involving coercive practices and extortion. Revolutionary fighter from Sagaing: ‘Out of 200 soldiers, 50 are real’. Corruption in institutions has increased for economic gain.

Two prisoners died from lack of healthcare on 19 July in prisons run by Myanmar’s military regime: 26-year-old activist Ma Wut Yi Aung, tortured after her arrest, and Ko Pyae Sone Aung, a member of the National League for Democracy. Their death extends a long list of victims of the junta’s prison system, while leader Aung San Suu Kyi is also in poor health after more than four years in prison.

The Nug has handed down a 20-year prison sentence to members of the group responsible for the murder in Sagaing. The priest was killed in a targeted and premeditated attack. AsiaNews source: the sentence is positive, but "we do not see transparency in the case. We hope that the resistance will not behave like the oppressor."

Another ethnic militia leader, who travelled to China "for medical treatment," was held to get armed groups in northern Myanmar to hand over the city of Lashio to Myanmar’s military junta. In this case, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has been in a long fight with the military for the control of the city of Bhamo, a strategic hub for the rare earth trade. Meanwhile, other militias accuse India of bombing Myanmar territory.

The World Bank has forecast a 2.5% contraction in GDP, while direct damage is estimated at $11 billion. Religious groups continue to bring aid to the population, but poverty, already over 30% before the quake, is likely to increase further. The testimony of those who lost their homes and continue to live in tents.

An investigation by Finance Uncovered has revealed that almost US$ 40 million from state development funds from the United Kingdom, Norway and Denmark have been invested in a company that operates digital surveillance infrastructure and technologies in Myanmar. The accusations involve software developed in China used to intercept communications, block VPNs, and monitor users. After the 2021 coup d'état, these systems have allowed the military to expand its control over the Internet.

The complaint was made by her lawyers and her Foundation, who – on her 80th birthday – released information received from ‘concordant sources’ about the damage suffered in March by the prison in Naypyidaw where the Burmese democratic leader is being held. ‘We fear she may die: we demand her immediate and unconditional release’. The Guardian newspaper has published some images and details about her days in prison provided by some defectors.