ASEAN Special Envoy arrives in Myanmar
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 2026 Chair, the Philippines, Special Envoy on Myanmar and Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro will lead a humanitarian delegation to Burma on Wednesday to discuss efforts to expand humanitarian access across the conflict-hit country, anonymous diplomatic sources told ThaiPBS.
The sources added that Lazaro will visit Naypyidaw on Oct. 28–29 to meet senior officials, including regime Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe to discuss ASEAN efforts to address Burma’s humanitarian needs. The delegation will include senior officials and experts from the Indonesia-based ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre).
Lazaro and the AHA Centre team will also visit the Shan State capital Taunggyi, where she will meet local relief officials from various organizations to discuss humanitarian needs. Asked about ASEAN’s request for a meeting with jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi during the two-day visit, the sources said no such meeting had been arranged.
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Aung San Suu Kyi requests clothes from her Yangon home
The ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) party told DVB that its co-founder and leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained by the regime in Naypyidaw since the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021, has instructed staff at her Yangon residence to send clothing to her in Naypyidaw, where’s she been held for over five years.
An NLD party official told DVB on the condition of anonymity that Aung San Suu Kyi requested 20 outfits from her wardrobe at her 54 University Avenue home in Yangon, the famed address where she had previously spent 15 years under house arrest and where her brother Aung San Oo has tried four times but has failed to auction it since August 2022.
Jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi is currently serving 18-years after several reductions to her original 33-year sentence handed down by a regime court after she was convicted of multiple charges dismissed by her supporters as “politically-motivated.” Aung San Suu Kyi was reportedly transferred from prison to house arrest in Naypyidaw on April 30, but this hasn’t been independently verified.
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Malaysia seeks answers over continued detention of returnees
Malaysia will formally seek clarification from regime authorities following reports that hundreds of recently repatriated migrants were transferred directly into military custody upon arrival in Yangon, Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan announced in parliament on Monday.
The diplomatic pushback comes after Kuala Lumpur deported 1,476 Burma nationals via three naval vessels on Sept. 29 under a bilateral repatriation initiative with the regime in Naypyidaw that aims to return a total of 5,000 migrants held in Malaysian immigration detention facilities.
While Malaysia framed the departures as voluntary amid rising domestic anti-migrant sentiment, and the regime promised “safe and dignified” treatment, over 400 ethnic Rakhine returnees remain in military detention after docking outside Yangon.
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News by Region
SAGAING—The General Strike Coordination Body (GSCB), which is a coalition of anti-2021 coup strike committees, marked the first anniversary of a paramotor attack that killed at least 24 people attending the Full Moon Day of Thadingyut at an undisclosed location on Oct. 6, 2025.
The GSCB, which was honoured on Oct. 11 with the 6th Forum 2000 International Award for Courage and Responsibility, stated that it paid tribute to the civilians and resistance members killed in the attack and expressed solidarity with their grieving families. Read the full article on our website
SHAN—A regime court in Nawnghkio Township ordered the closure of a mosque on Oct. 22, after two imams were sentenced to 14 years in prison under Section 50 (j) and 52 (a) of Counter-Terrorism Law. Nawnghkio, located 96 miles (154 km) south of Lashio was recaptured by regime forces on July 16, 2025.
A Muslim member of the mosque told DVB on the condition of anonymity that the community rejects the shut down. Nawnghkio residents told DVB that over 50 homes have been seized by the regime since it regained control of the town from the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA).
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Watch our latest report: Myanmar’s Garment Sector 5 Years After the Military Coup on DVB English News YouTube.
