Myanmar

YANGON, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Representatives of Myanmar government's National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) and four ethnic armed groups issued a joint communique late on Saturday following their meeting in Kengtung, Shan state, earlier on the day.

The four armed groups are Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF) or Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Myanmar National Truth and Justice Party (MNTJP) or Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the United League of Arakan(ULA) or Arakan Army (AA).

YANGON, Aug 30 (NNN-Xinhua) — A total of 78 more illegal Myanmar migrant workers have been sent back to homeland from Thailand, Myanmar’s immigration authorities said on Friday.

The illegal migrant workers including six women were handed over by Thailand’s Immigration Department through Kawthoung border gate in southern Tanintharyi region on Wednesday evening.

They were expelled by the Thai authorities for being found with expired visas and without proper documents.

YANGON, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in will pay a state visit to Myanmar soon at the invitation of his Myanmar counterpart U Win Myint, the Myanmar government said in a media announcement on Sunday.

Myanmar and S. Korea have been making efforts to enhance their economic and trade cooperation and have coordinated to establish an industrial zone for Korean companies investing in Myanmar.

YANGON, Myanmar, Aug 15 (NNN-MNA) – Myanmar’s Defence Services Technological Academy in Pyin Oo Lwin, Mandalay region, was attacked by an unidentified militant group, armed with heavy weapons on Thursday morning, said an official of the True News Information Team of the military.

The incident took place at about 05:00 a.m. local time, damaging parts of the academy.

YANGON, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar authorities have seized 1.7 tons of illegal hardwood timbers in the outskirts of Yangon city, according to the Forest Department Sunday.

The seizure was made by the forest officials in Htaukkyant township, northern Yangon on Friday when a suspected car was intercepted with 35 pieces of illegal Pyingadoe hardwood being found.

However, the driver and his passenger fled the scene.

Township police is investigating into the case to arrest the suspects and charge them under the Forest Law.

17 July 2019; DW: The sanctions represent the strongest step that the US has taken in response to massacres in Myanmar. Recent reports have pointed to the military's role in enabling violence against the minority Muslim group.

The US State Department announced on Tuesday that it would sanction Myanmar's army chief Min Aung Hlaing and other members of the military for their involvement in violence that caused 740,000 Rohingya to flee across the border to Bangladesh last year.

YANGON, July 15 (Xinhua) -- One jade miner has been rescued with injury while four others remain missing after a suspended jade mine collapsed in Myanmar's Kachin state, Hpakant township police force said on Monday.

The incident occurred near Ba La Kha village in Hpakant township of the state Saturday.

Search for the four missing jade miners is underway who are aged at 24 to 32.

The collapsed jade mine, which has been suspended at that time, is run by a private company Phyo Thiha.

The injured was hospitalized at the Hpakant General Hospital for treatment.

YANGON, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi left Nay Pyi Taw for Thailand to attend the 34th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Bangkok on Friday, according to Myanmar's Foreign Affairs Ministry.

The 34th ASEAN Summit, which is chaired by Thailand and will last until Sunday, will discuss the affairs of the 10 member countries, the current status of the ASEAN community and its future tasks.

Suu Kyi is expected to hold bilateral meetings with other ASEAN leaders during the summit.

29 May 2019; AFP: Myanmar's military is guilty of committing new "war crimes", extrajudicial killings and torture in its fight against ethnic Rakhine rebels, Amnesty International said Wednesday.

The armed forces have deployed thousands of troops and heavy artillery across northern Rakhine state in recent months where Arakan Army (AA) rebels are fighting for more autonomy for the state's ethnic Rakhine Buddhists.

BANGKOK (AP) — A United Nations fact-finding mission is urging that countries cut off all business with Myanmar’s military as part of efforts to hold the army accountable for human rights abuses.

The U.N. Human Rights Council said in a statement on Tuesday that there has been no progress toward resolving the crisis over Myanmar’s mostly Muslim Rohingya minority, more than 1 million of whom have fled military “clearance operations” in the northwest Rakhine region.