Philippines meets with ‘ethnic groups’ from Myanmar
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 2026 chair the Philippines has welcomed various political and ethnic nationality leaders from Burma to a “stakeholders’ meeting”, Manila’s foreign minister said on Thursday, in a bid to advance the regional bloc’s stalled ASEAN Five Point Consensus peace plan.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro, who was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as this year’s ASEAN Special Envoy on Burma, did not name the groups represented, nor say when the meeting took place. “I encouraged their active, constructive and meaningful sharing of perspectives on the implementation of the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus,” Lazaro shared on social media.
The ASEAN peace plan was agreed to by Burma’s regime leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing in April 2021, two months after he led a military coup on Feb. 1, 2021, but it was not implemented upon his return to Naypyidaw. Lazaro added that discussions included advancing conflict deescalation, facilitating humanitarian aid delivery, addressing transnational crime and fostering political dialogue. Read more
UN ambassador warns Naypyidaw evading accountability
Burma’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun said that the absence of an international convention on crimes against humanity have allowed the military to evade accountability for atrocities committed against the Rohingya in 2016-17 “security clearance operations” that led to the expulsion of 700,000 from northern Arakan State into neighbouring Bangladesh, where 1.2 million now live in refugee camps.
“Myanmar considers the elaboration of a convention on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity to be a necessary step toward strengthening the international legal framework,” Kyaw Moe Tun said at the U.N. headquarters in New York City on Jan. 19. He added the regime in Naypyidaw continues to escape responsibility for crimes against humanity and has continued its assault against the people since the 2021 coup.
Kyaw Moe Tun criticized the ongoing elections in Burma as neither free nor fair, adding that crimes against humanity cannot be erased through illegitimate polls that do not affect criminal liability under international law. He urged the international community to reject impunity and pursue accountability for crimes committed against the Rohingya and other communities in Burma by the military and its regime in Naypyidaw.
Independent Press Council Myanmar wants journalists freed
The Independent Press Council Myanmar (IPCM) issued a statement on Monday calling for journalists working in conflict affected communities to be guaranteed safe access to information and effective protection. It also called for the 27 media workers in Burma who have been jailed by the military since the 2021 coup to be freed immediately.
“In resistance-controlled areas, press freedom has also not yet reached the level people expect,” Toe Zaw Latt, the IPCM secretary and spokesperson told the Karen Information Center (KIC). “Press freedom is not only important for us as journalists. It is also important for people to know the truth about what is happening in conflict areas,” he added.
The regime that seized power during the 2021 coup, ousting the National League for Democracy (NLD) government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, is now holding its own election that will end on Jan. 25. But independent journalists inside Burma are unable to report on it without fear of arrest. Read more
News by Region
ARAKAN—At least 21 people were reportedly killed and 30 others were injured by airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force in Chaungtu village, Kyauktaw Township, on Tuesday. The Arakan Army (AA) stated on Jan. 20 that the victims were regime troops and their families “scheduled for release.”
Kyauktaw, located 60 miles (96 km) north of the state capital Sittwe, was seized by the AA in February 2024. It claimed that a total of 28 people, including children, were killed and 25 others were injured by airstrikes on an undisclosed location near Ram Creek in Mrauk-U Township on Jan. 18, 2025. Read more
KACHIN—The regime’s Union Election Commission (UEC) stated on Tuesday that it is unable to hold the third and final round of voting in Mansi and Momauk townships, located 50-112 miles (80-180 km) south of the state capital Myitkyina and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) headquarters in Laiza, on Jan. 25.
It added that 10 wards and one village of Bhamo Township, located 118 miles (190 km) south of Myitkyina and 56 miles (90 km) southwest of Laiza, will not hold elections either. Bhamo has 16 wards and 42 village-tracts, according to the administration department. The UEC stated this was due to “a lack of conditions to hold free-and-fair elections.” Read more
YANGON—IQAir recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) level of 104 for Yangon, indicating conditions that “may be harmful to health,” on Wednesday. Level 104 falls within the orange category, which means it can pose health risks to the elderly, children and people with respiratory disease, according to IQAir.
“There’s this strong, acrid smell [in the air],” a resident living near Kandawgyi Lake told DVB on the condition of anonymity. IQAir states that it measures particulate matter (PM) in five locations of Yangon, including the U.S. and German embassies, using air quality measurement devices. Read more
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