Myanmar to take BIMSTEC Secretary-General role in 2027
Regime leader Min Aung Hlaing met with the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Secretary-General Indra Mani Pandey in Naypyidaw on Monday to discuss Burma taking on the bloc’s leadership role next year, regime media reported. Regime Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe, President’s Office Minister Khin Maung Yi, and other regime officials.
Min Aung Hlaing described BIMSTEC as an organization that “fosters cooperation among member states without political interference,” and claimed that his administration had made efforts to hold “free and fair” elections. Pandey expressed confidence that Burma under Min Aung Hlaing would help BIMSTEC strengthen regional relations, promote socio-economic development, as well as peace and stability.
BIMSTEC includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and India, from which Pandey is from. The secretary-general serves a non-renewable three-year term under an alphabetical rotation among member states. Min Aung Hlaing attended the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok in April 2025, where he met with the Thai and Indian Prime Ministers. He made an official visit to India May 30 to June 3.
Min Aung Hlaing seeks Chinese investment
During an interview with the Chinese government-affiliated broadcaster Phoenix TV on June 19, Min Aung Hlaing said that he expected Burma’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to double through China’s investment. He also stated that security and stability along the Burma-China border remains “weak,” adding that his military is making “significant efforts” to protect Chinese investments.
Jason Tower, a senior expert at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, told DVB that Beijing will “push harder” to stabilize Burma enough to allow infrastructure projects, including the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) that links China’s Yunnan Province to the Indian Ocean through Burma’s Kyaukphyu Township in Arakan State, to move forward.
China has remained Burma’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching about $19.4 billion USD in 2025, Chinese state media reported. China’s accumulated investment volume is $21.5 billion USD, accounting for 22.86 per cent of total investment up to April, according to the regime’s Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA). Kyaukphyu is contested between the military and the Arakan Army (AA), which has seized control of 14 out of 17 Arakan townships.
Over 5,000 people trapped in Myanmar scam centres
The Civil Society Network for Human Trafficking Victim Assistance (CSNHTV) reported that over 5,300 people are still trapped in cyber scam centres located in Karen State near the Burma-Thailand border. In a letter to Thai police urging them to take action, CSNHTV said many of those trapped were foreign nationals held at four locations inside areas controlled by the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA).
The CSNHTV estimates that the people trapped include around 1,600 Chinese nationals, some 200 Burma nationals, 20 Thais as well as citizens from the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brazil, Russia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe. Scam centres in Burma and Cambodia run illegal online schemes that defraud people worldwide and generate billions of dollars of annual revenues, according to the U.N.
Many of these facilities, such as those along parts of the Thai border, are operated by foreign nationals trafficked there by criminal gangs, often working in oppressive environments and subjected to abuse. Thailand dismantled scam centres, rescuing some 5,000 people from sprawling scam hubs in Karen State’s Myawaddy Township, but large-scale illegal operations have continued. Read more
News by Region
ARAKAN—The Arakha Press Council was formed by 33 reporters inside Burma and in the diaspora on June 14, according to its founding statement on Monday. Tayzar Aung, the council’s spokesperson, told DVB that it aims to protect journalists and advocate for freedom of expression.
The Arakan Army (AA) detained Border News Agency (BNA) reporter Mu Dra from her home in Maungdaw Township on Sept. 20. There have been no updates regarding her arrest. The AA controls 14 of 17 Arakan townships since it launched a statewide offensive against the regime in 2023.
BAGO—A resident of Pandaung Township’s Kyoekya village was arrested on Monday, accused of “inciting unrest and spreading propaganda” on social media, regime media reported. Pandaung residents told DVB that the arrest was associated with Aung San Suu Kyi’s 81st birthday on Friday.
They said the person commented on a post about the “Flower Strike,” an online campaign held June 19. Regime Deputy Home Affairs Minister Min Thu said that a committee was formed in April by the Pyithu Hluttaw, or lower house of parliament, to monitor “fake news” and conduct online surveillance.
MAGWAY—The People’s Defense Force (PDF) told DVB that it shot down an Mi-17 helicopter belonging to the Burma Air Force near Myaing Township’s Twinma village on Tuesday. Myaing, located 130 miles (209 km) north of the region’s capital Magway, is contested between the PDF and regime forces.
A PDF member told DVB that they used an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to attack the helicopter. He added that it was a “suicide” drone, that caused an unknown number of casualties. Retaliatory airstrikes were carried out on the PDF following the attack. No casualties were reported.
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