By Ko Myo / MPA Myanmar military forces have burned down more than 100 civilian homes in the country's south after an offensive to recapture a strategic town on the Thai-Myanmar border stalled, local resistance fighters say. On 13 February, junta troops razed properties in Lal Thel village, Tanintharyi Township, despite there being no active fighting in the immediate area. The incident was detailed...

By Moe Nya / MPA Myanmar's military government has expelled Timor-Leste’s top diplomat in the country, citing interference in domestic affairs, in a move that follows a landmark war crimes lawsuit filed against the junta in Dili. Mr Alicio de Rosario de Sousa, the Timorese Chargé d'Affaires in Yangon, has been declared persona non grata and ordered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to...

By Nway / MPA Rebel forces in northern Myanmar have encircled a key police station in Kachin State's Hpakant Township, following a coordinated offensive against multiple military outposts that left six civilians—including four children—injured by artillery fire. At approximately 02:00 local time on Saturday, 14 February, a coalition of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Kachin People's Defence Force (KPDF) launched simultaneous attacks...

By Naing Yarzar Min / MPA The chairman of Myanmar’s military-appointed Union Election Commission (UEC), U Thein Soe, has announced plans to further amend the country's electoral laws, following a recent election widely condemned by critics as a sham. The announcement was made yesterday during a meeting with political parties at the UEC headquarters in the capital, Naypyidaw. "Although the election has concluded, we...

By Nway / MPA A seven-year-old boy has been killed and three other children injured after stepping on a landmine while playing in northern Myanmar, a tragedy that coincided with the country's national Children's Day. The explosion occurred at approximately 09:00 local time on 13 February in Taung Pyo, a village in Kachin State’s Hpakant Township that has previously seen heavy combat. According to...