Tag: Myanmar

MAE SOT, Thailand – When Shwe Lin heard that an auditing firm was visiting the garment factory where she worked in the Thai border town of Mae Sot to inspect labor conditions there, she found it hard to feel hopeful. The factory prepared pre-selected workers and exchanged rehearsed questions and answers with the auditing company, said the Burmese migrant worker, who requested an alias for her safety. She told Radio Free Asia that workers were forced to lie about factory policies about sick days, holidays and overtime. They’re also pressured…

Read RFA coverage of this topic in Burmese. Amid mounting pressure from Beijing, a powerful rebel army in northern Myanmar is preparing to withdraw from the conflict-hit city of Lashio by April 22, residents in rebel-held territory told Radio Free Asia. The withdrawal by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, or MNDAA, follows a high-level meeting earlier this month between representatives of the Chinese government, Myanmar’s military junta, and MNDAA leaders. Sources close to the group say the move is part of ongoing peace negotiations being brokered by China in…

UPDATED April 15, 2025, at 2:50 p.m. ET Myanmar junta forces have unleashed a series of Burmese New Year airstrikes on Buddhist monasteries, killing 11 people during festive days when people traditionally visit religious sites to make merit. The latest and deadliest attack came Tuesday, when six civilians were killed and at least 25 others, including 10 monks, were wounded at Kanni village monastery in Kawkareik Township, Kayin (Karen) State, residents of the village told RFA Burmese. The wounded are being treated at Mawlamyine General Hospital, said one resident, who…

MAE SOT, Thailand – When Aung Hein Thant’s brother went to a hospital in Thailand following a serious head injury from a motorcycle accident, he faced an unexpected and troubling situation: the hospital required him to show his passport and pay a deposit of US$5,800 before providing treatment. Facing a series of delays, he ultimately died from his injuries. “I thought at first everyone should have equal rights,” Aung Hein Thant told RFA Burmese, calling the hospital’s actions “discriminatory.” Thailand’s constitution guarantees patients’ fundamental rights to medical care without discrimination…

Myanmar’s junta bombed a monastery in the country’s northwest on Saturday, killing five people, including children, just one day before it publicly announced that a recent earthquake had destroyed almost 10,000 religious buildings across the country. The airstrike in Tabayin township, Sagaing region, injured nine others and reduced a monastery to rubble, according to the Tabayin Brotherhood Organization, which supports displaced civilians. “Around 1 p.m., a military plane opened fire on the monastery outside Kya Khat village,” a member of the organization said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to…

As the United Nations called for $275 million in aid for quake-hit Myanmar, neighboring China pledged 1 billion yuan (US$137 million), eclipsing the offers from other international donors. The 7.7-magnitude earthquake, which struck March 28, has killed more than 3,600 people and damaged critical infrastructure across the country of 55 million people. That includes the main rail line between the commercial center, Yangon, the military’s administrative capital, Naypyidaw, and the worst-hit major city of Mandalay. Electricity and clean water supplies have been impacted and thousands of buildings, including hospitals and…

Read RFA coverage of this topic in Burmese. An insurgent army in northern Myanmar publicly executed five convicted criminals, including a Chinese citizen, residents told Radio Free Asia on Friday. The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, or MNDAA, is one of Shan state’s largest ethnic organizations. It has been fighting for territory since a military junta took power in a 2021 coup, and has largely administered its own justice in the territory, occasionally publicly executing criminals. “One Chinese and four Burmese were shot at the airport, all five were given…

Read RFA coverage of these topics in Burmese. Junta airstrikes in northwestern Myanmar killed more than 30 civilians, including an entire family, residents and officials told Radio Free Asia on Thursday. Despite a junta-declared ceasefire on April 2 following a devastating earthquake in central Myanmar, clashes have continued between military troops and rebel militias that have claimed increasing amounts of territory following the country’s 2021 coup. On Wednesday evening, airstrikes on northern Sagaing region’s Wuntho township resulted in heavy civilian casualties, said Nay Bone Latt, a spokesperson for exiled National…

Read RFA coverage of this topic in Burmese. Junta restrictions on aid activities following central Myanmar’s devastating 7.7 earthquake have driven some to postpone aid efforts, despite many communities being in critical need of support, volunteers told Radio Free Asia. Junta authorities have been accused of blocking search and rescue teams and aid groups from entering affected areas in Sagaing and Mandalay regions, as well as Shan state, by using security checkpoints and strict registration requirements. “They [aid groups] can’t do anything. We’re very upset that those who could help…

Read RFA coverage of this topic in Burmese. A rebel army and allied forces near Myanmar’s northwestern border with India have seized towns that were previously under the junta control, sources told Radio Free Asia. The Chin Brotherhood captured Chin state’s second largest town of Falam, located near the border of Mizoram state in India, according to residents. The rebel group, which is comprised of six allied Chin insurgent armies, began attacks on Falam on Nov. 5, 2024 and seized the junta’s remaining Battalion 268 on Monday. “We’re continuing clearance…