Thailand welcomes US-Myanmar engagement
Thailand welcomes U.S. engagement with Burma and expects discussions at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Manila next month on how to proceed with the member state that has been barred from high-level summits and meetings after the 2021 military coup, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow told Reuters on Friday.
The United States and Burma’s regime held talks in Tokyo, Japan, two weeks ago, their second meeting in a month as Washington steps up re-engagement with the regime it shunned since the coup. “We don’t want to see Myanmar isolated, we don’t want Myanmar to be an arena for geopolitical rivalry … so the U.S. engagement is something that we welcome,” he said.
Engagement “does not mean legitimizing the regime,” but aims to encourage peaceful conflict resolution and reconciliation with the opposition, Sihasak, who is also deputy prime minister, added. He said there was “some shift in ASEAN’s position,” citing regime leader Min Aung Hlaing’s recent visits to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia.
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UK facing backlash over diplomatic outreach to regime
Advocacy group Burma Campaign UK issued a strong condemnation of the British government, accusing London of executing a quiet policy shift toward normalizing relations with Burma’s military regime while abandoning its commitment to sanctioning Naypyidaw.
The advocacy organization called on the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to immediately halt ministerial engagement and return to imposing targeted economic and arms sanctions to cut off revenue streams fueling military aerial attacks.
Burma Campaign UK highlighted a recent high-level meeting that provided the regime’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a photo opp after Chargé d’affaires Win Zeyar Tun attended the ASEAN London Committee meeting at the U.K. Department of Business and Trade on Oct. 16..
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Myanmar lawyer reflects on journey from Chin State to global stage
In an exclusive interview with DVB, human rights attorney Zar Li Aye reflected on the personal journey, pivotal moments, and post-coup turning points that carried her from a remote mountain village in Chin State to receiving the International Bar Association (IBA) 2026 Award for Outstanding Contribution by a Legal Practitioner to Human Rights.
Born in a tiny 13-household village in Falam Township—which was destroyed by regime airstrikes in 2022—she grew up in a non-Burmese-speaking, devout family. After they relocated to Yangon to seek educational opportunities, she overcame financial hardships, language barriers, and classroom discrimination while initially pursuing music and the arts.
Although her parents enrolled her in university law courses against her initial artistic ambitions, her perspective transformed during her third year of study when a pro bono lawyer successfully secured the release of her surviving relative following a tragic mountain car crash. Witnessing how legal defense could be offered without financial expectation inspired her to dedicate her life to pro bono advocacy.
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News by Region
ARAKAN—At least nine people have been killed and at least five others are in critical condition at the Sittwe Hospital after an explosion near an intersection on Min Bar Gyi Road on Friday. “The explosion happened in a very crowded area, which is why there were so many casualties,” a Sittwe resident told DVB.
Fighting between the Arakan Army (AA) and the military intensified after two regime outposts, located near the Regional Operations Command (ROC) headquarters in Sittwe, were seized on Oct. 11. Neither the regime nor the AA has released a statement. Read the full article on our website
CHIN—The Chin National Front (CNF) stated that it met with the Interim Chin National Consultative Council (ICNCC) for further discussions on reunification of the two factions of the Chin resistance in India’s Mizoram State capital Aizawl on Oct. 16-17.
“We saw favorable prospects for reunification,” Salai Khua Uk Lian, a CNF executive committee member, told DVB. The CNF withdrew from the ICNCC due to internal disputes in 2023. It went on to establish its own governing body called the Chinland Council. Read the full article on our website
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