China welcomes Min Aung Hlaing as Myanmar president
Min Aung Hlaing was congratulated by China, Russia, Belarus and Nicaragua after his ascension to Burma’s presidency following a vote in the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, Burma’s bicameral legislature, on Friday. Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup on Feb. 1, 2021 that ousted the democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD) government and jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint.
China’s President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Min Aung Hlaing on April 3, stating that he is “willing” to work with Burma’s new president for the “benefits of the people of both countries and regional peace.” Deng Xijun, China’s Foreign Ministry Special Envoy for Asian Affairs, told a press briefing in Naypyidaw on Dec. 29 that Burma’s 2025-26 elections were an agreement between Min Aung Hlaing and Xi Jinping.
China’s Vice-President Han Zheng congratulated regime Prime Minister Nyo Saw and Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) lawmaker Nan Ni Ni Aye after being named vice-presidents on April 3. Amnesty International and Burma Campaign UK warned that Min Aung Hlaing becoming president won’t stop the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing an arrest warrant requested by its Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan in November 2024. Read more
Stay tuned to DVB English News on YouTube for our feature video podcast explainer this Friday on how Min Aung Hlaing became president
Myanmar sailors await passage through the Strait of Hormuz
A Myanmar sailor whose ship has been anchored in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) told DVB that they have been instructed by the Emiratis to follow strict security guidelines while awaiting to cross the Strait of Hormuz from the Persian Gulf into the Gulf of Oman. Around 150 ships are anchored in the UAE awaiting passage, according to the sailor.
“The [person who organizes the freight on the ship] has ordered our ship to wait,” a Myanmar sailor in the UAE told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Sailors are concerned about their ships being hit during the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran. Tehran blocked ships from entering the Strait of Hormuz on March 3 – three days after attacks began on Feb. 28.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical maritime checkpoint, serving as a vital trade route for approximately 20 per cent of the world’s oil. It has been listed as a danger zone by the Joint War Committee (JWC) on March 11 due to the war in the region, which has led to higher security risks for maritime navigation. Read more
Genocide case filed against Min Aung Hlaing in Indonesia
The Myanmar Accountability Project (MAP), led by its executive director Chris Gunness, and Rohingya genocide survivor Yasmin Ullah will launch a criminal complaint under the legal principle of universal jurisdiction against Min Aung Hlaing on charges of genocide at the Prosecutor’s Office in Jakarta, Indonesia, today.
“I urge the Indonesian authorities to uphold the rule of law and hold the Myanmar dictatorship to account. The junta has become a regional embarrassment and this genocide case sends send a powerful signal that impunity for the crime of crimes must end,” Ullah, the co-founder of the Rohingya Maiyafuinor Collaborative Network, said on April 3.
The criminal complaint was filed under the legal principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows national courts to prosecute individuals for the most serious international crimes, such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, regardless of where the crime was committed or the nationality of the perpetrator and the victims. Read more
News by Region
CHIN—The Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) has documented that at least 19 civilians have been killed by 137 airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force across the state from Jan. 1 to March 31. A total of 42 others have been injured and 88 homes have been destroyed so far this year.
“Airstrikes have become the Myanmar military’s weapon of choice against civilians. Every bomb dropped on villages is enabled by the international supply chains that keep military aircraft in the air. Those supply chains must be shut down,” said Salai Za Uk Ling, the CHRO executive director.
KAREN—A Buddhist monastery was destroyed by airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force in Wawlay village, located in southern Myawaddy Township, on Friday, residents told DVB. Myawaddy is located along the Burma-Thailand border 81 miles (130 km) east of the state capital Hpa-An.
Myawaddy residents reported that there were no casualties. Everyone living in Wawlay had already fled their homes when the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) attempted to seize the regime’s Wawlay outpost on March 31. The battle for the control of the Wawlay outpost began in July 2025.
MAGWAY—The People’s Defence Force (PDF) told DVB that at least six of its members were killed and 10 others were injured by airstrikes on an oilfield between Myaing and Pauk townships on Saturday. Myaing and Pauk, located 130-136 miles (209-218 km) north of the region’s capital Magway, are partially controlled by the PDF under the National Unity Government (NUG).
A PDF member in Myaing told DVB that members of the NUG and the interim Magway Federal Unit were meeting to discuss management over oilfields on April 4. The Magway Federal Unit is a local government formed by anti-regime forces and NLD lawmakers, ousted in the 2021 coup, in December.
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