MIN AUNG HLAING

The White House says President Joe Biden will host leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian nations in Washington next month for a summit.

Myanmar Armed Force Day Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, head of the military council, inspects officers during a parade to commemorate Myanmar's 77th Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Sunday, March 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo) (Aung Shine Oo)BANGKOK — (AP) — Myanmar's leader vowed Sunday to intensify action against homegrown militia groups fighting the military-run government, saying the armed forces would "annihilate" them. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, speaking at a military parade marking Armed Forces Day, also urged ethnic minorities not to support groups opposed to army rule and ruled out negotiations with them. In some parts of the country, they've joined forces with well-organized, battle-hardened ethnic armed groups, which have been fighting for greater autonomy for decades. Last year’s Armed Forces Day was the single bloodiest since the military’s Feb. 1, 2021, seizure of power.

Myanmar’s leader has vowed to intensify action against homegrown militia groups fighting the military-run government, saying the armed forces would “annihilate” them.

Several top Myanmar celebrities who were detained for criticizing the army's seizure of power have been released from prison under pardons issued by the military government.

Wunna Maung Lwin was appointed foreign minister after the military seized power in Myanmar last year, ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The head of Myanmar’s military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, was not invited to last October’s virtual meeting of ASEAN leaders because of the disagreement. That rebuke was issued shortly after Myanmar declined to let an ASEAN special envoy meet with Suu Kyi, who has been in detention since the military took power. Japan's foreign minister met in Tokyo on Monday with Hun Sen's son and agreed to cooperate in dealing with the situation in Myanmar. Japan has taken a softer line on Myanmar's military than Western nations that have sanctioned the generals.

Myanmar says it will not participate in this week’s meetings in Cambodia of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, spurning an invitation to send a non-political representative instead of its chief diplomat.

An award-winning film director in Myanmar has been arrested almost a year after appearing on a wanted list for encouraging government employees to join in protests against military rule.

Protests and violence have marked the one-year anniversary of the army's seizure of power in Myanmar.

Myanmar Myanmar's Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing presides an army parade on Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Saturday, March 27, 2021. (AP Photo) (Uncredited)BANGKOK — (AP) — Security forces in Myanmar have arrested dozens of people in a preemptive move to suppress plans for a nationwide strike Tuesday on the one-year anniversary of the army’s seizure of power, state-run media reported. The crackdown was confirmed by friends and family of some of the targets, including the SIP Café Club coffeeshop in Mandalay. Widespread nonviolent demonstrations followed the army's takeover initially, but armed resistance began after protests were put down with lethal force. About 1,500 civilians have died but the government has been unable to suppress the insurgency.

Myanmar Myanmar's Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing presides an army parade on Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Saturday, March 27, 2021. The crackdown was confirmed by friends and family of some of the targets, including the SIP Café Club coffeeshop in Mandalay. “The (Facebook) page announced it would be closed on Feb.1 by using the words ‘Silent Strike’, and the café was confiscated,” one of its workers told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he feared reprisal from the authorities. Widespread nonviolent demonstrations followed the army's takeover in Myanmar in 2021, but armed resistance began after protests were put down with lethal force. The military government has already declared its intention to maintain a state of emergency until it holds a new election in August 2023.

Security forces in Myanmar have arrested dozens of people to preemptively suppress plans for a nationwide strike on Tuesday, which is the one-year anniversary of the army’s seizure of power.

The army takeover in Myanmar a year ago that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi brought a shocking end to the effort to restore democratic rule in the Southeast Asian country after decades of military rule. People opposed the army takeover because they had come to enjoy representative government and liberalization after years of military rule, said David Steinberg, a senior scholar of Asian Studies at Georgetown University. Kept in detention by the military, Suu Kyi has played no active part in these developments. The 76-year-old Suu Kyi has already been sentenced to six years’ imprisonment, with the prospect of many more being added. With urban demonstrations mostly reduced to flash mobs to avoid crackdowns, the battle against military rule has largely passed to the countryside, where the badly outgunned local militias carry out guerrilla warfare.

The army takeover in Myanmar a year ago that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi unexpectedly aborted the ongoing restoration of representative democracy in the Southeast Asian country after decades of military rule.

A report based on U.S. trade data shows American companies are still importing teak from Myanmar despite sanctions imposed after the military seized power.

Cambodia Myanmar Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen waves from a plane upon his arrival from Myanmar, at Phnom Penh International Airport, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022. Hun Sen's meeting with Myanmar's military chief, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi last February, triggered protests in Myanmar and criticism abroad. That means he promised that he would get back to Hun Sen with positive news,” Prak Sokhonn said. Last April, ASEAN leaders, including Min Aung Hlaing, agreed on a five-point roadmap toward a peaceful settlement of the Myanmar crisis, including an end to violence and a political dialogue between all stakeholders. The Myanmar military has a history of bloodshed, including a brutal campaign against the Rohingya Muslim minority.

Cambodia’s foreign minister has defended Prime Minister Hun Sen’s trip to Myanmar, the first by a foreign leader since the military takeover plunged the country into turmoil, though there was little evidence the mission yielded any immediate breakthrough.

Hun Sen is the first head of government to visit Myanmar since the military takeover last February. Hun Sen said on Wednesday before leaving Cambodia that he had not set any preconditions for his visit. The Myanmar military has a history of bloodshed, including a brutal campaign against the Rohingya Muslim minority. Hun Sen was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn, the current ASEAN special envoy, and other top Cambodian leaders. The National Unity Government, an underground Myanmar opposition group and parallel administration, urged Hun Sen to stay away.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s visit to Myanmar to revive peace efforts after last year’s military takeover is provoking an angry backlash among critics, who say he is legitimizing the army’s seizure of power.

A court in military-ruled Myanmar has postponed its verdicts on two charges against ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi in which she is accused of importing and possessing walkie-talkies without following official procedures.

Human rights activists are lobbying major jewelers to stop buying gems sourced in Myanmar as a way to put pressure on Myanmar's military leaders by limiting profits from the country's lucrative mining industry.

The military is lashing out with growing brutality as resistance to its rule intensifies. Teenagers are among the latest victims, believed to have been burned alive.

Netherlands International Court Myanmar FILE - Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi waits to address judges of the International Court of Justice on the second day of three days of hearings in The Hague, Netherlands, on Dec. 11, 2019. “The leader of the illegal coup is criminally responsible for the security forces under his command committing mass atrocity crimes,” project director Chris Gunness said. “So the question is, will (ICC prosecutor) Karim Khan accept the jurisdiction of the NUG?” Gunness told The Associated Press. “We believe there is strong diplomatic, legal justification for the ICC moving ahead with an investigation.”The ICC prosecution office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The International Criminal Court already is investigating mass expulsions of members of the Rohingya ethnic minority by the Myanmar military as a possible crime against humanity.

A human rights group is calling on an international court to open an investigation into a crackdown on dissent by Myanmar’s military rulers.

Facebook’s parent company Meta has announced a new ban on postings linked to Myanmar’s military to include all pages, groups, and accounts representing military-controlled businesses.

The verdicts come in what is seen as a sham trial to silence a flawed, but popular democracy leader amid growing chaos in the Southeast Asian nation.

The ruling is the first in a series of criminal cases that could see the 76-year-old Nobel laureate detained for the rest of her life.

BEIJING — (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Monday said his country will not seek dominance over Southeast Asia or bully its smaller neighbors, amid ongoing friction over the South China Sea. Xi’s remarks came days after Chinese coast guard ships blocked and sprayed a powerful stream of water at two Philippine boats carrying supplies to troops at a disputed South China Sea shoal and forced them to turn back. “We must fully utilize these legal tools to ensure that the South China Sea remains a sea of peace, stability and prosperity,” Duterte said. China and ASEAN have for years been negotiating a code of conduct for handling matters in the South China Sea but those talks have made little progress of late. In other comments, Xi said peace was the “greatest common interest" of all sides and China would exert its utmost to avoid conflict.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping says his country will not seek dominance over Southeast Asia or bully its smaller neighbors, despite a rise in regional frictions.

Bill Richardson’s success in helping secure the release of journalist Danny Fenster from a Myanmar prison is the latest demonstration of the former New Mexico governor’s knack for flying into some the most closed societies on earth and persuading those in charge to do Washington a favor.

Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Bill Richardson acknowledges criticism of his humanitarian visit to Myanmar, but he tells The Associated Press he feels his trip was constructive.

The sultan of Brunei says Myanmar remains an integral part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the bloc hopes its military government will work with an ASEAN envoy to defuse the political crisis triggered by its seizure of power in February.

Biden US ASEAN In this image released by Brunei ASEAN Summit, United States President Joe Biden speaks in the virtual meetingof ASEAN - East Asia Summit on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit with the leaders, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. (Brunei ASEAN Summit via AP) (Uncredited)KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — (AP) — President Joe Biden told leaders at the East Asia Summit on Wednesday that China's recent actions in the Taiwan Straits are “coercive" and undermined peace and stability in the region. Some nations such as Indonesia and Malaysia also fear the pact could escalate tensions and spark an arms race. In Biden's private conversations with ASEAN leaders, he denounced the “horrific violence” by the military junta in Myanmar as he looks to press U.S. leadership in the Pacific. “In Myanmar, we must address the tragedy caused by the military coup which is increasingly undermining regional stability,” Biden told the leaders, according to the White House.

President Joe Biden has told leaders at the East Asia Summit that China’s recent actions in the Taiwan Straits are “coercive” and undermined peace and stability in the region.

ASEAN FILE - In this June 23, 2021, file photo, Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar's armed forces, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing delivers his speech at the IX Moscow conference on international security in Moscow, Russia. Myanmar defiantly protested the exclusion of Min Aung Hlaing, who currently heads its government and ruling military council, from the summit of the ASEAN. Myanmar cited the violation of those principles — enshrined in the group’s charter — when it rejected ASEAN's ban on its military leader from the summit. ASEAN leaders agreed on a five-point contingency plan in an emergency meeting in April in Indonesia that was attended by Min Aung Hlaing. ASEAN has been under pressure to help end the crisis in Myanmar, where the military’s efforts to quash opposition have triggered increasingly violent and destabilizing resistance.

Southeast Asian leaders have begun their annual summit without Myanmar amid a diplomatic standoff over the exclusion of the leader of the military-ruled nation from the group’s meetings.

Southeast Asian leaders are meeting this week for their annual summit with world leaders but without Myanmar’s top general.

The U.N. special envoy for Myanmar is warning that February's military takeover has led to armed conflict and if power isn’t returned to the people in a democratic way the country will go in the direction of a failed state.

A senior U.S. official says the United States is at a turning point in deciding how to handle the crisis in military-ruled Myanmar, weighing further political and economic steps to pressure the government to change its behavior.

Crowds have gathered for a second day outside prisons around Myanmar, waiting for at least a glimpse of friends and relatives who are being freed under an amnesty for people arrested for protesting against military rule.

Myanmar ASEAN FILE - In this June 23, 2021, file photo, Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar's armed forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing delivers his speech at the IX Moscow conference on international security in Moscow, Russia. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing in a speech broadcast on state television blamed groups that were organized to oppose the military takeover for the ongoing deadly unrest. Min Aung Hlaing was commenting on ASEAN's decision on Friday to invite a non-political representative from Myanmar instead of a member of its ruling council to the bloc's summit meeting later this month. ASEAN in April reached a “five-point consensus," to which Myanmar agreed, calling for the immediate cessation of violence, a dialogue among all concerned parties, mediation by an ASEAN special envoy, provision of humanitarian aid through ASEAN channels, and a visit to Myanmar by the special envoy to meet all concerned parties. In his 13-minute speech, Min Aug Hlaing also announced an amnesty for thousands of people who were arrested for taking part in protests against the military's seizure of power.

The move comes days after a regional bloc of nations snubbed the country's ruling junta, disinviting coup leader Min Aung Hlaing from an upcoming summit.

The leader of Myanmar’s military-installed government says other Southeast Asian countries should share responsibility for failing to help quell the violence that has engulfed his nation since the army seized power in February.

ASEAN Myanmar FILE - In this March 27, 2021, file photo, Myanmar's Commander-in-Chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing presides an army parade on Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations will invite a non-political representative instead of Myanmar's military leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the grouping's chair Brunei said Saturday. In a swift response, Myanmar's foreign ministry said it was “extremely disappointed and strongly objected" to the group's decision, which was made without a consensus. In handling Myanmar, ASEAN has been hamstrung by its bedrock policy of noninterference in the domestic affairs of member nations and its consensus decision-making. The U.S., Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, the European Union and United Kingdom on Friday issued a joint statement of support for the ASEAN envoy.

ASEAN Myanmar FILE - In this March 27, 2021, file photo, Myanmar's Commander-in-Chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing presides an army parade on Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations will invite a non-political representative instead of Myanmar's military leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the grouping's chair Brunei said Saturday. ASEAN foreign ministers held an emergency meeting late Friday after Myanmar refused to cooperate with the bloc's crisis envoy, Brunei Second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof. The statement from Brunei said the ASEAN ministers were concerned about the impact of the Myanmar crisis on regional security and about the “unity, credibility and centrality of ASEAN as a rules-based organization." In handling Myanmar, ASEAN has been hamstrung by its bedrock policy of noninterference in the domestic affairs of member nations and its consensus decision-making.

Southeast Asian foreign ministers have agreed to downgrade Myanmar’s participation in an upcoming summit in their sharpest rebuke yet of its leaders following a Feb. 1 military takeover.

Southeast Asia’s top diplomats will discuss in an emergency meeting Friday, Oct. 15, 2021 whether to allow Myanmar's military leader to attend an annual summit after a crisis envoy was barred from meeting ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The move by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is the biggest rebuke for Myanmar so far since the Feb. 1 military takeover toppled a civilian government led by Suu Kyi. ASEAN appointed Brunei Second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof in August as its special envoy to mediate in the crisis. Myanmar officials have said Erywan couldn’t meet with Suu Kyi because of criminal charges against her. The decision to exclude Myanmar's military leader is the boldest decision so far by ASEAN, which has been hamstrung by its bedrock policy of noninterference in the domestic affairs of member nations and its consensus decision-making.

Myanmar ASEAN FILE - In this May 5, 2021, file photo, Brunei Second Minister of Foreign affairs Erywan Yusof poses for photographers ahead of a meeting on the sidelines of a G7 foreign ministers' meeting, in London. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations had appointed Brunei Second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof in August as its special envoy to mediate an end to the Myanmar crisis. However, he abruptly canceled his trip to the violence-wracked nation this week after being informed by his hosts that he would not be able to meet Suu Kyi and others as he wanted. Myanmar officials have said Erywan couldn't meet with Suu Kyi because of criminal charges against her. Some ASEAN members have called for Myanmar to be censured for refusing to cooperate.

A senior diplomat says Southeast Asia’s foreign ministers have decided not to invite Myanmar’s military leader to an annual summit for refusing to let an envoy meet ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Myanmar says a special envoy appointed by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations canceled his visit after the government told him he would not be able to meet with ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and others.

U.N. representatives and human rights groups say evidence collected by The Washington Post show the Myanmar military committing crimes against humanity.

(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool) (Alexander Zemlianichenko)BANGKOK — (AP) — More than 1,000 people have been killed by security forces in Myanmar since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi about six months ago, a human rights group said Wednesday. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which monitors protest-related arrests and deaths in Myanmar, said it confirmed two more deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total to 1,001. Casualties are also rising among the military and police as armed resistance grows in both urban and rural areas. The military leadership disputes the AAPP's figures but has not recently released any of its own. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the military commander who took power after deposing Suu Kyi in February, said near the end of May that about 300 people had been killed.

A human rights group says more than 1,000 people have been killed by security forces in Myanmar since the military seized power about six months ago.

Southeast Asian foreign ministers have picked Brunei's second foreign minister as their special envoy to Myanmar, in a breakthrough for regional mediation aimed at ending the country’s deepening crisis.

The United Nations is calling the Myanmar military’s extension of the state of emergency and election delay moves in the wrong direction from international calls for the restoration of democracy.

Six months after seizing power from the elected government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing declared himself prime minister of Myanmar.

Myanmar FILE - In this June 23, 2021, file photo, Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar's armed forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing delivers his speech at the IX Moscow conference on international security in Moscow, Russia. “We must create conditions to hold a free and fair multiparty general election," Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said during a recorded televised address. I pledge to hold the multiparty general election without fail.”He said the state of emergency will achieve its objectives by August 2023. In a separate announcement, the military government named itself “the caretaker government” and Min Aung Hlaing the prime minister. Min Aung Hlaing said that among the three nominees, Thailand's former Deputy Foreign Minister Virasakdi Futrakul was selected as the envoy.

Six months after seizing power from the elected government, Myanmar’s military leader has declared himself prime minister and said he would lead the country under the extended state of emergency until elections are held in about two years.

As COVID-19 deaths rise in Myanmar, allegations are growing that the military government is using the coronavirus pandemic to consolidate power and crush the opposition.

Myanmar is facing a a rapid rise in COVID-19 patients and a shortage of oxygen supplies, just as the country is consumed by a bitter and violent political struggle since the military seized power in February.

Myanmar’s junta tightened its grip on the country’s lucrative jade industry in the run up to the February 1 coup, boosting the military’s coffers and personally enriching its generals, a new investigation by Global Witness has found. Coup leader General Min Aung Hlaing’s family has been among the alleged beneficiaries of the multi-billion-dollar trade, with the report revealing fresh accusations that his son has received bribes to facilitate jade mining. The investigation, “Jade and Conflict: My

The leader of Myanmar’s military junta has attended an international conference in Moscow, an appearance that reflects Russia’s eagerness to develop ties with the junta despite international criticism.

Myanmar state media say a well-known senior Buddhist monk was among at least 12 people who died when a military plane crashed in the country’s central Mandalay region.

A well-known senior Buddhist monk was among at least 12 people who died when a plane belonging to Myanmar’s military crashed Thursday in the country’s central Mandalay region, state media reported. Army-run Myawaddy TV said a boy was one of two survivors on the flight from the capital, Naypyitaw, to Pyin Oo Lwin, also known as Maymyo. The other person taken to a hospital was reported to be a member of the military, but several other unconfirmed reports said he later died.

Myanmar Anti-coup protesters display the three-finger sign of resistance during a flash mob on Thursday, June 3, 2021, in Yangon, Myanmar. Resistance to military rule remains widespread four months after civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi was removed from power on Feb. 1, 2021. The National Unity Government said at a rare online news conference that ASEAN should meet with them as well, not just the military. Brunei is taking the lead in negotiating with the Myanmar junta because it currently holds ASEAN's rotating chairmanship. ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Representatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have met with Myanmar’s junta leader six weeks after an emergency regional summit on the country’s crisis following a military coup drew promises of progress toward a solution but produced no tangible results

Representatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have met with Myanmar’s junta leader six weeks after an emergency regional summit on the coup in the country drew promises of progress toward a solution but produced no tangible results.

Min Aung Hlaing makes the claim in his first interview since seizing power in February.

Min Aung Hlaing makes the claim in his first interview since seizing power in February.

Myanmar Union Election Commission Chairman Thein Soe stands during a meeting with representatives of various political parties Friday, May 21, 2021 in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. (AP Photo) (Uncredited)NAYPYITAW, Myanmar — (AP) — The head of Myanmar’s military-appointed state election commission said Friday that his agency will consider dissolving Aung San Suu Kyi's former ruling party for alleged involvement in electoral fraud and having its leaders charged with treason. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy came to power after a landslide 2015 election victory, and won an even greater majority in last November’s general election. Suu Kyi's party also won a 1990 election, but the military stepped in to prevent it from taking power. Almost all the major parties — including Suu Kyi's NLD — refused to go to Friday’s commission meeting, as they regard the body as illegitimate.

Myanmar Union Election Commission Chairman Thein Soe, center, speaks during a meeting with representatives of various political parties Friday, May 21, 2021 in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party first came to power after a landslide 2015 election victory, and won an even greater majority in last November’s general election. The NLD also won a 1990 election, but the military stepped in to prevent it from taking power. After taking power, the military dismissed the old members of the election commission and appointed new ones. It also detained some members of the old commission, and according to reports in independent Myanmar media, pressured them to confirm there had been election fraud.

The head of Myanmar’s military-appointed state election commission says his agency will consider dissolving Aung San Suu Kyi’s former ruling party for alleged involvement in electoral fraud and having its leaders charged with treason.

The head of Myanmar’s military-appointed state election commission said Friday that his agency will consider dissolving Aung San Suu Kyi's former ruling party for alleged involvement in electoral fraud and having its leaders charged with treason. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy came to power after a landslide 2015 election victory, and won an even greater majority in last November’s general election. It was set to start a second term in February when the military seized power in a coup, arresting her and dozens of top government officials and party members.

An independent election monitoring organization says the results of last November’s voting in Myanmar were representative of the will of the people, rejecting the military’s allegations of massive fraud that served as its reason for seizing power.

Last November’s election results in Myanmar were “by and large, representative of the will of the people,” an independent election monitoring organization said Monday, rejecting the military’s allegations of massive fraud that served as its reason for seizing power. It noted, however, that Myanmar’s electoral process is “fundamentally undemocratic” because its 2008 constitution, written during army rule, grants the military an automatic 25% share of all parliamentary seats, enough to block constitutional changes. Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won a landslide victory in the Nov. 8 polls, which should have secured it a second five-year term in office.

Myanmar 100 Days FILE - In this file image from video broadcast April 18, 2021, over the Myawaddy TV channel, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing delivers his address to the public during Myanmar New Year. One hundred days since their takeover, Myanmar’s ruling generals maintain just the pretense of control over the country. Health workers who founded the civil disobedience movement against military rule stopped staffing government medical facilities. One hundred days after their takeover, Myanmar’s ruling generals maintain just the pretense of control. Within days of the junta takeover, elected parliamentarians who were denied their seats convened their own self-styled Parliament.

One hundred days since their takeover, Myanmar’s ruling generals maintain just the pretense of control over the country.

A United Nations report says political turmoil and disruptions following the coup in Myanmar could undo years of progress and double the number of its people living in poverty to nearly half the population.

Protesters in Myanmar’s largest city have braved potential violence by security forces to demonstrate against February’s military coup, showing their resolve to continue their resistance two days after Southeast Asian leaders met to address the country’s crisis.

Southeast Asian leaders have demanded an immediate end to killings and the release of political detainees in Myanmar during an emergency summit in Jakarta with its top general and coup leader.

Protesters against Myanmar’s military coup have returned to the streets of downtown Yangon, defiantly chanting their opposition to the army’s seizure of power as the junta chief prepared to attend a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders on the country’s crisis.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations will be under as much scrutiny as Myanmar's junta leader when the 10-member regional body meets Saturday.

Myanmar’s junta has released more than 23,000 prisoners to mark the traditional new year holiday, including at least three political detainees, and the military leader behind the February coup confirmed he would attend a regional summit later this month.

U.S. sanctions on Myanma Gems Enterprise target an army-controlled business rife with corruption and abuses that is one of the junta’s key sources of revenue.

He spent the night in his car. He'd called on his home country's junta to free civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Troops killed more protesters in Myanmar.

Anti-coup protesters prepare makeshift bow and arrows to confront police in Thaketa township Yangon, Myanmar, Saturday, March 27, 2021. (AP Photo)YANGON – As Myanmar’s military celebrated the annual Armed Forces Day holiday with a parade Saturday in the country's capital, soldiers and police elsewhere killed scores of people while suppressing protests in the deadliest bloodletting since last month's coup. “We urge the Myanmar Armed Forces to cease violence and work to restore respect and credibility with the people of Myanmar that it has lost through its actions.”AdThe European Union’s delegation to Myanmar said that the 76th Myanmar Armed Forces Day “will stay engraved as a day of terror and dishonor.”“The killing of unarmed civilians, including children, are indefensible acts,” it added. Junta chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing did not directly refer to the protest movement when he gave his nationally televised Armed Forces Day speech before thousands of soldiers in Naypyitaw. In contrast, security forces have used live ammunition for weeks against what have still been overwhelmingly unarmed and peaceful crowds.

Opposition against the Feb 1 military coup continues in Myanmar. The civil disobedience movement has used widespread boycotts, strikes and other actions to demand that power be returned to the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. The allegations against Suu Kyi made by former Yangon Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein were first mentioned by the military several weeks ago. Last week the military-controlled Myawaddy TV station aired a similar video with a construction magnate who also claimed to have made large payoffs to Suu Kyi. The junta repeated its claims that civil servants, teachers and doctors joined the CDM under threat.

Facing a powerful military that has spent decades inflicting terror on its own people, demonstrators in Myanmar have resorted to creative acts of civil disobedience to protest the army’s Feb. 1 takeover of the country’s civilian government. Taxis block a road, pretending to have broken down, during an anti-coup protest on Feb. 17, 2021, in Yangon, Myanmar. AdvertisementDemonstrators attempt to disrupt train service in Mandalay, Myanmar, during a protest against the military coup. Demonstrators occupy a street on Feb. 17, 2021, in Yangon to protest Myanmar’s recent military coup. The Chinese ambassador to Myanmar, Chen Hai, said in an interview Tuesday that the crisis was “absolutely not what China wants to see.”Demonstrators gather near Sule pagoda in Yangon on Feb. 17, 2021, to decry the Myanmar military coup.

Demonstrators wave National League for Democracy party flags during a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, February 10, 2021. "Myanmar police should immediately end the use of excessive and lethal force" the New York-based watchdog urged. The United Nations also issued a statement expressing "strong concern" over the reported used of force against protesters. Demonstrators holding images of ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi pose for a photo during a protest in Yangon, Myanmar, February 10, 2021. Teachers from the Yangon Education University flash the three-finger protest gesture while holding signs in Yangon, Myanmar, February 5, 2021.

Protests erupted for a fourth straight day against last week's coup to oust civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, as international condemnation of the putsch grew. In Naypyidaw, the remote capital purpose-built by the previous military regime, witnesses said police fired rubber bullets at protesters after earlier blasting them with water cannon. Protesters rally against the military coup and demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in Yangon, Myanmar, February 9, 2021. Myanmar's military junta leader, General Min Aung Hlaing, delivers a nationally televised address from the capital Naypyitaw, February 8, 2021. Price also said U.S. requests to speak to Suu Kyi were denied.

Thousands of people spilled into the streets of Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city, on Saturday, chanting "down with the military dictatorship." President Biden and the United Nations have called on Myanmar's military leaders to relinquish power and release activists and officials. Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for 15 years, had struggled against previous military rule before a troubled democratic transition began in 2011. But Suu Kyi is still widely adored in Myanmar. As those restrictions grow, so do the concerns that the country and its people will once again live a life in isolation.

Naypyitaw, Myanmar — Myanmar military television said Monday that the military was taking control of the country for one year, while reports said many of the country's senior politicians, including Aung San Suu Kyi, had been detained. Suu Kyi's political party urged Myanmar's people to oppose Monday's "coup" and any return to "military dictatorship." The takeover is a sharp reversal of the partial yet significant progress toward democracy Myanmar made in recent years following five decades of military rule and international isolation that began in 1962. Former pro-democracy activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi became leader of Myanmar in 2015. In this Nov. 8, 2020, file photo, Myanmar military Commander-in-Chief Senior Genernal Min Aung Hlaing leaves a polling station after voting in Naypyitaw, Myanmar.