Global calls to free Aung San Suu Kyi after transfer to house arrest
The European Union, the United Nations, the United States, and Japan have issued renewed calls for the immediate and unconditional release of jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners, following her recent transfer from Naypyidaw Prison to an undisclosed location under house arrest.
The detained leader, who has been held since the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021, had her 22-year sentence reduced by one-sixth to 18 years as part of a general amnesty for 1,519 prisoners announced on April 30. Despite the sentence reduction and transfer, the international community has made it clear that house arrest is not an acceptable resolution.
“We continue to call for her immediate and unconditional release,” the U.S. State Department said on May 1. “We urge the regime to ensure Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has proper access to medical care given continued reports of her poor health.” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres echoed these demands, pressing for an immediate cessation of violence and a genuine commitment to inclusive dialogue. Read more
Japan pledges $17.5 million for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh
Japan pledged $17.5 million USD in humanitarian assistance for Rohingya refugees living in camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar and on Bhasan Char island. The announcement comes following a meeting in the capital Dhaka between Japanese Agriculture Minister and Special Envoy Suzuki Norikazu and Bangladesh’s newly-elected Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on April 29.
“There is an urgent need for the safe, voluntary, and dignified repatriation of the Rohingya refugees to their homeland in Myanmar,” Rahman told Suzuki Norikazu during the meeting. He added that repatriation of Rohingya is “a top priority” for his government, urging sustained international engagement and aid to resolve the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh.
Nine human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Fortify Rights, and Human Rights Watch, issued a joint letter to Bangladesh in March calling for improvements to the deteriorating humanitarian situation for Rohingya refugees. Over one million Rohingya live in Bangladesh with over 700,000 arriving after a military operation in Burma in 2017, which was labeled a genocide by the U.S. in 2022.
Myanmar ranks ‘very serious’ in 2026 World Press Freedom Index
In its 2026 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders highlighted a “25-year low” for press freedom and ranked Burma 166 out of 180 countries, in the “very serious” category near the bottom along with countries like Iran, China and North Korea. Burma has become one of the world’s largest jailers of journalists since the 2021 military coup, second only to China with at least 200 journalists arrested.
“Myanmar’s military cannot begin to claim a democratic transition while systematically shutting down and harassing the free press,” said Shawn Crispin, senior Southeast Asia representative at the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), in a statement released on April 30 regarding Naypyidaw’s recent revocation of publication licenses for Khonumthung Media Group, Chin World, and Myatmaukkhit News Agency.
At least 15 independent media outlets have had their licenses revoked since the 2021 coup, according to DVB data. Burma currently holds at least 18 journalists behind bars, according to the CPJ, and has ranked second worldwide in the group’s annual prison census conducted on Dec. 1, 2025. RSF called for stronger international action to end the criminalisation of journalism and to better protect media workers worldwide.
News by Region
SAGAING—Regime forces regained control of Indaw Township, a critical logistics hub that connects to the regime’s northern strongholds in neighbouring Kachin State. on Thursday following a seven-day counteroffensive that began on April 24. The bodies of 33 People’s Defense Force (PDF) members were recovered with weapons.
The recapture ends a year-long occupation by resistance forces. The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and allied PDF fighters originally seized Indaw on April 7, 2025. Indaw, located roughly 209 miles north of the region’s capital Monywa, sits at a crucial road and rail junction. Read more
SHAN—A source in the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) told DVB that it’s built a new checkpoint along the Burma-China border at the Chinshwehaw border trade hub in Laukkai Township, Kokang Self-Administered Zone (SAZ). Chinshwehaw, located 95 miles (152 km) northeast of Lashio, was seized by the MNDAA in 2023.
The source added that the MNDAA checkpoint in its SAZ is being built on the Burma side of China’s border fence. Regime media reported that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Min Aung Hlaing that Beijing “supports Burma’s sovereignty and territorial security” during a meeting in Naypyidaw on April 25.
YANGON—Business owners told DVB that the regime’s Ministry of Planning and Finance increased customs duties on 252 types of imported goods, including fish and seafood products, motorcycle tires and tubes, milk and dairy products, as well as snacks and other food items, on May 1.
Residents told DVB that the tax will make prices rise even further. According to the directive, taxes on fish and seafood will increase 5–15 per cent, motorcycle tires and tubes 5–10 per cent, milk and dairy products 3–5 per cent, and snacks and food products 15–20 per cent.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,190 MMK)
Watch our latest Newsroom interview with Jared Bissinger on DVB English News YouTube or Spotify. Listen on Apple, Audible, Amazon Music, or wherever you get podcasts.
