State arms firms are suspected of selling weapons to the Myanmar junta. National Commission on Human Rights is urged to act.

Myanmar’s military junta continues to receive political and financial support from other countries and international institutions. Are sanctions needed?

ASEAN is progressing slowly in its handling of the crisis in Myanmar. The military junta refuses to meet envoy from the organization.

Although it may sound good, the agreement by ASEAN leaders on Myanmar is non-binding and will be difficult to implement. It is like a dog barking at passing cars.

The Myanmar military unleashed a wave of airstrikes after ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting was held. The junta will only take ASEAN’s suggestions into consideration.

Since the Myanmar army staged a coup on February 1, Myanmar Now’s Chief Editor Swe Win has intensified communication with the journalists on the ground from his refuge in Australia to keep the world updated of what is happening in Myanmar. He said rumors of a coup had been swirling when the military made several political maneuvers to discredit the November 2020 general election results. Myanmar has now plunged into a crisis as the coup sparked nationwide protests and civil disobedient movement. Clashes between protesters and security forces have left scores of deaths and sent hundreds of protesters, activists and journalists behind bars.

Human rights and security are two sides of the same coin. If ASEAN as a community is to achieve them, it must do away with the rhetorical non-interference principle which only gives regimes the upper hand in dealing with dissent. This principle is no longer relevant in this increasingly interconnected era. 

As countries impose sanctions on military officials involved in the coup in Myanmar, ASEAN remains divided in condemnation. Indonesia has a key role to play.

The military coup d’état killed the democracy that had never really flourished in Myanmar. ASEAN must not remain silent.

The Myanmar military once again took over power via a military coup. The public fight back with a deafening cacophony in a show of defiance.