good read:

How online scam warlords have made China start to lose patience with Myanmar’s junta

In the end it was the thriving online scam centers that finally forced China to lose patience with Myanmar’s brutal military rulers.

The impoverished Southeast Asian nation has long been a trouble spot on China’s southwestern border. For decades Beijing’s leaders have played a careful game of backing Myanmar’s military regimes – lending them much-needed economic, military and diplomatic support, including at the United Nations – whilst also maintaining close ties to powerful rebel militias along its borders.

But Beijing’s frustration has been building with Naypyidaw’s generals who seized power in 2021, overthrowing a democratically elected government that Beijing had built close relations with, and resurrecting the kind of isolated junta rule that Myanmar’s people had spent decades living under.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/19/chin ... mobile-app

KEY FIGURES*

2.6M Total people currently internally displaced across Myanmar
2.3M People currently displaced by clashes and insecurity since February 2021
306K People who remain internally displaced due to conflict prior to February 2021, mainly in Rakhine, Kachin, Chin, and Shan
18.6M People in Need 2024
5.3M People targeted for assistance 2024
$994M Requirement 2024

2023 YEAR-END SITUATION OVERVIEW

Myanmar stands at the precipice at the end of 2023 with a deepening humanitarian crisis that has spiralled since the February 2021. The civilian population is living in fear for their lives, with coping capacities stretched to the limit. The crisis is now marked by surging displacement, a fragile security environment, profound protection threats and escalating unmet needs. The humanitarian situation remains grim at year’s end, largely fuelled by protection risks and conflict, compounded by a myriad of challenges, including food insecurity, a health system in crisis, disrupted education, huge numbers of people on the move amid fears for their safety, and the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha which struck Myanmar in May affecting 3 million people. Inflation and conflict are driving up the price of food, fuel, and other basic items, leaving vulnerable households hungry and in economic distress with increasing numbers resorting to negative coping measures to survive.

The final days of 2023 have been marked by continued intense fighting across a majority of states and regions, with civilians fleeing their homes often multiple times, in large part due to fears over attacks. As of 25 December, more than 2.6 million people estimated were displaced nationwide, with most surviving in terrible conditions, lacking adequate shelter, most often in informal sites and in desperate need of access to basic services such as clean water. People on the move continue to be exposed to escalating explosive ordnance risks, and those in situations of protracted displacement face intensification of their vulnerabilities over time.

https://reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/my ... ear-review

phuketrichard wrote: ↑Fri Nov 03, 2023 9:21 am while the world look on as Israel is trying to wipe out all the Palestinians in Gaza, the conflict in Burma goes on .....
forgotten about>>

Thing is, heroin's been supplanted by fentanyl, I don't think theres big money to be made in intervention like they could have before.

edit: also... the people in charge aren't capable as they used to be . People like Anthony Blinken and Vicky Nuland ain't gangsta like Daddy Bush and his generation.


AND the white American fighting man isn't signing up for it

https://www.military.com/daily-news/202 ... ruits.html

nearly 3 years into this takeover the junta has suffered a whole series of set backs through out the country, towns taken back, desertion by junta troops an now a head monk speaks out

Myanmar's army is losing - and facing fire from a militant monk

Last Tuesday, a noisy crowd of several hundred people stood in the small main square of Pyin Oo Lwin, a popular Myanmar hill town, to hear a bespectacled monk make a startling suggestion.

Min Aung Hlaing, the country's military ruler, should step aside, he said, and let his deputy General Soe Win take over.

The man who led the 2021 coup against the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, provoking a catastrophic civil war, has faced plenty of international censure, and is loathed by much of Myanmar's population.

This though was criticism from an unusual quarter. The monk, Pauk Ko Taw, is part of an ultra-nationalist fringe of the Buddhist clergy, which has until now been staunchly behind the military junta.

"Look at Soe Win's face," Pauk Ko Taw said to the crowd. "That's the face of a real soldier. Min Aung Hlaing is not coping. He should move to a civilian role."

It is not clear what kind of backing Pauk Ko Taw has in the armed forces. But his comments echo those made by other junta supporters, who are increasingly frustrated by the seeming inability of Myanmar's military leaders to turn the tide against their opponents. Pauk Ko Taw declined to be interviewed by BBC Burmese.

A turning point in Myanmar as army suffers big losses

That he chose to give his speech in Pyin Oo Lwin will have added weight to it. The one-time British colonial hill-station is now home to the prestigious Defence Services Academy, where the army's top brass are trained. They could hardly miss the thinly-veiled warning: that they are running out of friends.

Pauk Ko Taw is pictured here in a file photo with members of the pro-junta Democratic Karen Buddhist Army militia

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68038513


Will the Myanmar Junta Boss Step Down? All Sides Now Want Him Gone


The Myanmar military is in serious trouble.

Coup maker Senior General Min Aung Hlaing faces growing calls to resign—this time, not just from his opponents, but also from his allies.

Internal dissent, defections and a breakdown in the chain of command. What’s next?

An internal coup?

Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing’s attempts to lead the military and administer the country in the three years since the coup are seen as completely incompetent.

Analysts said removing
Min Aung Hlaing alone
isn’t enough—he and
his entire gang must go.

But if there were to be a coup against him, then what? Would a coup lead to a genuine transition, or would he just be replaced by a hardline faction?

Analysts said removing Min Aung Hlaing alone isn’t enough—he and his entire gang must go. Then, who would hold him and his regime accountable for the crimes committed so far?

https://www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/analy ... -gone.html

3 years and 2 days on ceo, must rate as the LONGEST continuous thread here and i would Love to let it go, BUT
that does not seem likely anytime soon to happen>

People still having their homes destroyed, People being murdered/imprisoned
over 2.5 million displaced and no one really gives a fuck

alex's post on Feb 1st 2021:

Now is the perfect time for a coup in Burma or Myanmar or whatever they choose to call it nowadays. Nobody will give a shit.

Myanmar Junta Extends Emergency Rule by Six Months

YANGON – Myanmar’s National Defence and Security Council agreed on Wednesday to extend the state of emergency by another six months, the junta said, again delaying a general election the military has promised to hold.

“U Myint Swe, the acting president, announced the extension of the state of emergency for another six months… as the situation is not normal and to be able to continue the process of combatting terrorists,” the junta said in a statement.

https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/politics ... onths.html

Myanmar’s Coup Leader Has Delivered Three Years of Disaster

Thursday will mark the third anniversary of Min Aung Hlaing’s military coup in Myanmar. Three years after his coup, it is clear that he has failed at everything, from politics and economics to military matters and diplomatic relations. The only thing he has successfully finished is the titanic Maravijaya Buddha statue that was built as part of magical rituals, known as yadaya in Burmese, to avert misfortune.

https://www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/analy ... aster.html



‘Worst leader’: Military’s winter of discontent

With the Myanmar military suffering unprecedented losses on the battlefield, regime leader Min Aung Hlaing is finding himself on increasingly shaky ground as discontent rises up the ranks.
“He is the worst leader in the history of the military and the country. His leadership destroys the dignity of our military,” said a major-general in the air force, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
-----------------
Senior officers told Frontier the humiliating defeats across northern Shan have shocked the military establishment. Brotherhood members the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and Ta’ang National Liberation Army have seized more than a dozen major towns and border crossings with China. Their ally, the Arakan Army, has claimed control of Paletwa Township in southern Chin State, while fighting continues to rage in neighbouring Rakhine State.

In addition to the routs on the battlefield, there’s anger over the administration’s timid response to China. Many believe Beijing greenlit Operation 1027 to crack down on the cyber scam industry in Shan, which often targets internet users in China and uses other Chinese nationals as forced labour, and was linked to the military-aligned Kokang Border Guard Force. The major-general said he and other generals expected Min Aung Hlaing to publicly blame China for what he termed a “foreign invasion”, and to summon and admonish the ambassador.

https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/wors ... iscontent/

Joint Statement Marking Three Years Since the Military Coup in Myanmar
The following is the text of a joint statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union, and the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, marking three years since the military coup in Myanmar.
Three years ago, on 1 February 2021, the Myanmar military overthrew the democratically elected government, undoing a decade of progress.

Under the military regime, violence against civilians has escalated, with thousands jailed, tortured and killed. Airstrikes, shelling and arson have been used to destroy civilian infrastructure, including homes, schools, healthcare facilities and places of worship. Systematic discrimination against members of religious and ethnic groups, including Rohingya is rife. Many are displaced and continue to face horrific conditions, and others have been forced to flee across Myanmar’s borders. The military’s actions have fueled a growing humanitarian crisis with 2.6 million people displaced from their homes, and more than 18 million people in need.

We condemn in the strongest possible terms the military regime’s ongoing atrocities and human rights violations, such as sexual and gender-based violence, and the restriction of fundamental freedoms including freedom of expression, through peaceful protests and the media. We reiterate our call for the Commander-in-Chief and the military to change course, immediately ceasing violence against civilians, releasing all unjustly detained political prisoners, allowing full humanitarian access and creating space for inclusive dialogue with all stakeholders.

We strongly encourage unified efforts by ASEAN to resolve the crisis. We commend the constructive efforts of the ASEAN Chairs and Special Envoys. We call on the military regime to implement ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus and engage meaningfully and positively with ASEAN representatives, in order for Myanmar to transition towards an inclusive democracy.
We continue to support the full implementation of United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution 2669 (2022) and underline our support for UN Security Council activities to support ASEAN’s efforts to find a peaceful solution to the crisis. We call on the UN to strengthen its efforts on Myanmar including via the timely appointment of a Special Envoy and a Resident Coordinator and urge UN Member states to maintain their support to address urgent humanitarian needs in Myanmar.

We call on all members of the international community to support efforts to push the Myanmar military to cease violence, to bring about genuinely inclusive dialogue, in order to establish a credible, peaceful democratic future for Myanmar; to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of people in Myanmar and refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries, including its most vulnerable communities, and to cease providing the Myanmar military with the arms and equipment that are necessary for them to commit atrocities.
Three years on from the military coup, we continue to stand in solidarity with the Myanmar people and their desire for an inclusive and genuine democracy in Myanmar.

Please post elsewhere, get the word out , 3 years on.

well if this doesn't really fuck the country, .....The Junta is running out of soldiers

Myanmar Junta Enforces Military Service Law Following Battlefield Losses

Myanmar’s junta is enforcing a law allowing the military to summon all men aged 18-35 and women aged 18-27 to serve for at least two years, it said on Saturday, as it struggles to crush opposition to its 2021 coup.

The Southeast Asian nation has been in turmoil since the military takeover in February of that year, which ended a ten-year experiment with democracy and sparked mass protests and a crackdown on dissent.
Three years on, the junta is struggling to crush widespread armed opposition to its rule and recently suffered a series of stunning losses to an alliance of ethnic minority armed groups.

The junta “issued the notification of the effectiveness of People’s Military Service Law starting from February 10th, 2024,” the junta’s information team said in a statement.

The law was authored by a previous junta in 2010 but was never brought into force.

Saturday’s statement did not give further details but said the junta’s defence ministry would “release necessary bylaws, procedures, announcements orders, notifications and instructions.”

It did not give details on how those called up would be expected to serve.

https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/my ... osses.html

this mandatory conscription is a forcing many to flee an of course , their 1st choice is Thailand,
I hope Thailand allows them in but.........

‘They have lists of everyone’s names’: Myanmar conscription law unleashes wave of fear

Passport offices and embassies in Myanmar have been flooded with applications, with a queue of more than a thousand people on a single day trying to secure a visa for neighbouring Thailand. Helplines offering advice on ways to leave the country – how to manage checkpoints, what documents are needed – have been inundated.

Across Myanmar, the young and middle aged, both men and women, are desperately searching for ways to flee their homes, after it was announced the military junta will impose a mandatory conscription law from mid-April. The law, which would force people to serve a military many despise, has sent a wave of terror across the country.

“If I joined the military, I would have to fight my own people. I do not want to do that,” says Thura, who spoke under a fake name, from Shan State. “The military is infamous – they are killing people, arresting people, doing so many unjust things.”

read the full story:
https://www.theguardian.com/global-deve ... dApp_Other

3 years++

BIG set back for the junta as this is a big border crossing for goods from Thailand into Burma

Myanmar’s Myawaddy township falls to rebel forces

Rebel forces have captured seven army camps and a government command centre in Myawaddy province of Myanmar, after about four days of fierce fighting, according to rebel sources.

Myanmar jet fighters carried out bombing raids against the rebels of the Karen National Union (KNU) and People’s Defence Force (PDF), but failed to stop their advance, said the sources.

The rebels had seized a large cache of weapons, including howitzers, mortars, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, hundreds of assault rifles and ammunition left behind by the retreating government troops.

Rebel sources claim hundreds of Myanmar troops of the 275th battalion, from the main barracks in Myawaddy province, surrendered to the rebel forces yesterday, giving rebel forces full control of Myawaddy township, an important border town across the border from Mae Sot district of Thailand’s Tak province.

https://www.thaipbsworld.com/myanmars-m ... el-forces/

The junta is getting desperate, losing grounds, soldiers, an equipment
The forced enlistment is a big negative and the Junta has started forcing some of the Rohingya's, that Didn't flee Burma into the military, to fight for them YET< they will NOT allow them citizenship!!!

WASHINGTON —
VOA has recently obtained video footage depicting Rohingya from Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps being trained as soldiers in Rakhine state, the scene of heavy fighting between Myanmar’s military junta and ethnic armed groups.

The footage shows the young refugees armed with weapons and undergoing military training, revealing what appears to be forcible recruitment by the junta. Experts and witnesses say they believe the young recruits will be used as human shields by the junta in their struggle to regain territory lost in recent battles with the Arakan Army in Rakhine.

The Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority group, have faced persecution and discrimination in Myanmar for decades.

Denied citizenship under a 1982 Citizenship Law, they have been subjected to systemic discrimination, violence and expulsion from their homes in Rakhine state, bordering Bangladesh to the north. The military government has long portrayed the Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, marginalizing them from society.

https://www.voanews.com/a/video-shows-r ... 28194.html