Since February 2021, Myanmar has transformed from a young country with hopes of democratic reforms to a nation devastated by ethnopolitical civil war. In the aftermath of the 2020 elections, which saw the National League for Democracy (NLD) win the parliamentary majority over the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), a political party known for supporting the military, or Tatmadaw, a coup ensued.
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Advocacy for the restoration of Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratic government should become a focal point of the Biden administration’s Southeast Asian foreign policy agenda. If it does not, the U.S. becomes complicit in the demise of yet another potential democracy.
Read MoreThe military junta in Myanmar faces a plethora of international responses following an attack on a refugee camp in the Kachin region, killing 29 people including children. Varying sources have provided various figures; however, the confirmed number of deaths remains at 29, with an additional confirmed 59 wounded, says Reuters
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The Pakistani government has officially determined there to be 1.7 million undocumented immigrants they have been able to detect so far. Many Afghan people who fled to Pakistan for asylum from the Taliban will now be forced to return home.
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The military’s continued attacks against civilians have generated growing calls for accountability for those responsible for these reported atrocities.
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On February 4, the military junta in charge of Myanmar imposed martial law in several strongholds of anti-military resistance, Al Jazeera reports. In the numerous townships affected by the new measures, the citizens of Myanmar will be tried for various charges from treason to spreading fake news.
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Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s democratically elected leader ousted in last year’s military takeover, was convicted on two additional corruption charges on October 12, according to The Associated Press.
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On October 10, the Malaysian Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, announced to the public that parliament would be dissolved. CNBC reports that this will pave the way for an early election, legitimizing the next Malaysian administration.
Read MoreMyanmar’s military vowed to crack down on opposition forces as the nation celebrated its Armed Forces Day, reports Al Jazeera. The leader of Myanmar, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, claimed that his forces would ‘annihilate’ civilian opposition groups and urged ethnic minorities away from supporting militia groups that oppose the Tatmadaw, the country’s military-led government. However, one civilian resistance group, the National Unity Government, prompted people to take part in a ‘Power Strike’, turning off their lights and TVs during the parade broadcast ABC News reports.
Read MoreFebruary 21 marked the beginning of preliminary arguments at the International Court of Justice regarding the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine state of Myanmar, according to The Associated Press. Myanmar is currently being represented by military leaders, most of whom came into power after overthrowing the country’s previous leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
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