The Myanmar Aftershock Fundraiser Concert was held at Thapae East in Chiang Mai, Thailand on April 25. The event featured performances by local groups Vanilla Girl Band, In Se On, Mushi, Nomujinmn, and Triple Edge.
Myanmar aftershock fundraising concert in Thailand
Myanmar journalist Than Htike Myint sentenced to 5 years in prison for terrorism
Bangkok, Thailand, May 2, 2025—Myanmar authorities must immediately release Myaelatt Athan news agency journalist Than Htike Myint, who was sentenced to five years in prison on terrorism charges, which are being misused to harass, threaten, and imprison reporters, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday.
On April 3, a Myanaung Township court in southwest Myanmar convicted Than Htike Myint under Section 52(a) of the Counterterrorism Law for having rebel People’s Defense Force contacts on his cell phone, Myaelatt Athan editor-in-chief Salai Kaung Myat Min told CPJ, noting that such sources were needed for the journalist’s reporting.
“CPJ strongly condemns the severe sentence given to journalist Than Htike Myint,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative. “Myanmar’s junta must stop conflating news reporting with terrorism and cease treating independent war reporters as criminals.”
Than Htike Myint was arrested on February 6 in Myanaung Township’s Ein Pin town, where he had temporarily returned from hiding to visit his then-pregnant wife, according to the exile-run Independent Myanmar Journalists Association, a press group, and the independent DVB news site.
Soldiers beat Than Htike Myint during interrogations at the 51st Light Infantry Battalion Base, where he was held for seven days before being transferred to Myanaung Police Station, those sources and Salai Kaung Myat Min said, adding that he is being detained at Hinthada Prison, also in the coastal Ayeyarwady Region.
Myaelatt Athan did not make the news of his conviction and sentencing public until April 29.
Myanmar’s military has been battling pro-democracy fighters and other ethnic groups since seizing power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in 2021.
Than Htike Myint began reporting for Myaelatt Athan in January and previously worked with the local DVB and Mizzima news groups as a reporter, Salai Kaung Myat Min and news reports said.
Myanmar was the world’s third-worst jailer of journalists with 35 behind bars in CPJ’s latest annual prison census on December 1, 2024.
Myanmar’s Ministry of Information did not respond to CPJ’s emailed request for comment on the allegations of abuse and terrorism charges.
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide. We defend the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal.
A shelter for Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand partially demolished by the authorities
The Aid Alliance Committee (AAC) told DVB that Thai authorities forcefully entered its rental property and partially demolished a shelter it runs to house Myanmar migrant workers in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon Province of Thailand, on Thursday. Mahachai is located 25 miles (47 km) south of Bangkok. Samut Sakhon is home to a large community of migrant workers from Myanmar.
“We were told the demolition [order] came at the landowner’s request,” said Khine Gyi, the AAC spokesperson. “We still hold a valid one‑year lease. By the time I intervened, part of the building was already gone. We’ve halted further demolition for now, but they intend to return next week.”
Founded in 2015, the AAC shelter provided emergency housing to about 100 Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand, including those injured on the job, unpaid, dismissed, undocumented, or left stranded by the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Bangkok and the regime in Naypyidaw.
The AAC advocates for the rights of Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand. It offers free legal services to migrants involved in workplace disputes, including issues over unpaid wages, unfair dismissals, or workplace compensation claims.
Many Myanmar migrant workers are vulnerable to exploitation in the fishing, seafood-processing, and manufacturing industries. The AAC regularly intervenes on migrant workers’ behalf when dealing with the Thai authorities.
“Even without a building, we will continue our advocacy,” said Khine Gyi, adding that the AAC strives to improve access to work permits, fairer wages, and better access to healthcare and social services for Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand.
On Feb. 20, Thai authorities ordered the AAC office closed and for it to be demolished by the end of April, claiming it was not officially registered. On April 23, access to water and electricity was cut to the building.
The Thai authorities and the landowner have not commented on what led to the partial demolition of the AAC shelter on May 1.
At least seven informal schools serving the children of Myanmar migrant worker families in Thailand have been shut down over the last four years.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) stated that 1.3 million Myanmar nationals entered Thailand after the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021 up to December 2024.
Last year, arrivals from Myanmar to Thailand rose by 28 percent over the previous year. Since Naypyidaw enforced a military conscription law on Feb. 10, 2024 entries into Thailand have more than tripled from Myanmar compared to the same period in 2023. Approximately 44 percent of these arrivals lack official documentation, according to IOM.
The 2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census found that 2.02 million citizens, or roughly four percent of the total population, were living abroad. Out of this number, approximately 1.4 million – or 70 percent – resided in Thailand.
Former DVB reporter convicted of terrorism; No bids on Aung San Suu Kyi home during 4th auction attempt
Former DVB reporter convicted of terrorism
A former DVB reporter working for Myaelatt Athan, a news agency covering central Burma, was sentenced to five years in prison under the Counter Terrorism Law in Myanaung Township of Ayeyarwady Region in early April. Than Htike Myint was arrested in February and convicted by a regime court in Myanaung this month and transferred to Hinthada Prison, a source close to the court told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Senior Southeast Asia Representative Shawn Crispin told DVB that it “strongly condemns” the sentencing of Than Htike Myint on terrorism charges and calls for his immediate and unconditional release. “Myanmar’s junta must stop conflating independent news reporting with terrorism and stop treating independent journalists as criminals,” said Crispin.
Hinthada and Myanaung are located 86-135 miles (138-217 km) north of the Ayeyarwady Region capital Pathein. Than Htike Myint began working for Myaelatt Athan last June. His previous arrest and conviction under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code for “incitement” in 2021 means that this is the second time he has been detained for his work as a journalist since the 2021 coup. He was released in 2022 during a regime amnesty.
No bids on Aung San Suu Kyi home during 4th auction attempt
Sources close to the regime-controlled Kamayut District Court told DVB that the fourth auction for jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s Yangon residence at 54 University Avenue in Bahan Township received no bids on April 29. The floor price was set at 270 billion kyats ($61.22 million USD) by the court at the request of Aung San Suu Kyi’s brother Aung San Oo. The next auction date is set for May 4.
“The auction failed because there were no bidders. We’ve only heard that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is doing well and in good health [in prison]. We can’t meet with her,” the source told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The first auction for 54 University Avenue was held on March 20, 2024, at a floor price of 315 billion kyats. This means the price has been reduced by 45 billion kyats over the last year.
The lakeside villa that was once owned by Khin Kyi has been part of a legal dispute between her children Aung San Suu Kyi and Aung San Oo. The auction price has been reduced three times at the request of Aung San Oo. The National Unity Government (NUG) has designated the residence as a national cultural heritage site and has warned that legal action would be taken if the property is sold.
Thailand provides post-quake healthcare in Mandalay Region
The Royal Thai Embassy in Yangon shared on social media that it has built a mobile clinic in Kyaukse town, Mandalay Region, after it opened two other clinics in Mandalay. The Thai Army has also erected temporary shelters and repaired schools in at least four townships. Kyaukse is located 35 miles (56 km) northeast of the region’s capital Mandalay.
Thailand deployed four separate earthquake relief teams. Twenty-five officers from the Thai Army and 38 medical staff from the Ministry of Public Health arrived in Mandalay on April 26. The Malaysia Embassy in Yangon shared on April 25 that it had set up a clinic near the quake epicenter in Sagaing town of Sagaing Region. Sagaing is located 14 miles (22 km) west of Mandalay.
Both Sagaing and Mandalay, as well as Bago, Magway, Naypyidaw and southern Shan State, were the regions hardest hit by the earthquake on March 28. The death toll from the quake is 4,461 with 11,366 injured, according to DVB data. In Mandalay, at least 2,900 were killed. In Sagaing, at least 696 were killed. In Naypyidaw, at least 617 were killed. Another 248 were killed in Magway, Bago and southern Shan.
News by Region
KARENNI—The Progressive Karenni People Force (PKPF) stated on Thursday that regime attacks have killed 742 civilians and destroyed 3,031 homes from Feb. 1, 2021 coup up to April 30. It added that 1,874 attacks destroyed 57 religious buildings, 29 schools, and 17 medical facilities.
The regime in Naypyidaw announced a ceasefire on April 2, later extended to April 30, but it carried out 358 attacks during this period, according to DVB data. The resistance claims control over six towns in Karenni. Loikaw, Bawlakhe and Hpasawng are under regime control. Read more.
SAGAING—At least eight civilians were killed and more than 10 were injured by airstrikes in Kalay Township April 25-27, according to the People’s Defense Force (PDF) and Chin resistance forces. Kalay is located 144 miles (231 km) northwest of the region’s capital Monywa.
A spokesperson for the Chin National Army (CNA) told DVB that a column of 300 regime troops retreated from Kalay after resistance forces killed 30 of them. At least 20 monasteries and residential buildings were damaged by retaliatory airstrikes following the retreat.
SHAN—The Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), the political wing of the Shan State Army (SSA), shared on social media that it will meet with the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) to resolve tension in northern Shan since the launch of Operation 1027 on Oct. 27, 2023.
“There have been ugly and unnecessary fighting between ground troops due to communication problems,” the SSPP stated on April 30. It added that eight “confrontations” between SSPP and MNDAA forces and 24 incidents of physical fights, which led to injuries, occurred April 28-29.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,410 MMK)
One month since the devastating Myanmar earthquake
It has been over one month since the March 28 earthquake struck central Myanmar. But for many survivors, little to no help has arrived. At least 4,461 bodies have been recovered from the rubble of collapsed buildings and 11,366 have been injured, according to DVB data.
At least 742 civilians killed in Karenni State since 2021 coup, says resistance group
The Progressive Karenni People Force (PKPF) stated on Thursday that regime attacks have killed 742 civilians and destroyed 3,031 homes in Karenni State from Feb. 1, 2021 up to April 30. It added that 3,760 regime troops have been killed in 1,323 clashes with resistance forces, which lost 740 of its own fighters.
“[The regime] carried out air and artillery strikes in addition to a ground offensive,” a People’s Defence Force (PDF) member told DVB on the condition of anonymity after a regime column of 300 troops launched a counteroffensive against Karenni resistance forces in Moebye town of Pekon Township, southern Shan State, on Monday.
Moebye is located 100 miles (160 km) south of the Shan State capital Taunggyi and 11 miles (17 km) north of the Karenni State capital Loikaw. It was seized by the Karenni resistance during Operation 1111, which was launched on Nov. 11, 2023.
But the regime’s Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 422, stationed outside the town, remained under regime control and became the staging ground for a counteroffensive that began on Nov. 14, local media reported.
On April 26, three civilians were injured by an airstrike in Mawchi town of Hpasawng Township. At least six civilians were killed and 10 were injured by an airstrike on Mawchi April 24.
Banyar Aung, the Karenni Interim Executive Council (IEC) secretary 2, told DVB that two airstrikes were carried out on Mese Township, along the Myanmar-Thailand border, on the same date as Mawchi. No casualties were reported. Hpasawng and Mese are located 73-109 miles (117-175 km) south of Loikaw.
The PKPF claimed that 1,874 airstrikes have destroyed 57 religious buildings, 29 schools and 17 medical facilities in Karenni. The regime in Naypyidaw announced a ceasefire on April 2, later extended to April 30, but it carried out 354 attacks during this period, according to DVB data.
The resistance claims control over six towns in Karenni, including Mese and Moebye. Loikaw, Bawlakhe and Hpasawng are under regime control.
