Prison sources say around 200 jailed troops have been released on condition they serve in the armed forces for the rest of their sentences.

Launch of political and diplomatic offensives is urgent if the National Unity Government and ethnic armed allies are to retain momentum of Operation 1027.

The regime’s newspapers were filled with tirades against José Ramos-Horta after he urged junta troops to defect, and its backers staged a rally denouncing him in Yangon.

Rukchanok Srinork of the Move Forward Party was found guilty of lese majeste and breaching the Computer Crimes Act for retweeting two messages.

In Part 2 of an interview, Daw Zin Mar Aung says she is optimistic all anti-regime stakeholders have learned from the past and understand the need for unity.

Four regions targeted as the junta intensifies its aerial campaign in the face of an expanding resistance offensive.

The alliance says its three members will fight the regime until a federal democracy is established.

Dawei Watch said two of its employees were arrested from their homes in the Tanintharyi capital at around midnight on Dec. 11.

The Indaw People's Defense Force says Maw Luu town in Indaw Township has fallen after about six hours of fighting.

Regime spokesman Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun continues to concoct lies to cover up humiliating defeats as the resistance offensive expands.     

The Irrawaddy’s latest roundup includes incidents in Shan State and Sagaing, Magwe and Tanintharyi regions.

Food and fuel shortages are compounded by lack of internet access and intermittent telecom signals, as well as junta troops firing on farmers trying to harvest their rice.

Chinese-brokered peace talks have begun but the Brotherhood Alliance is still attacking Myanmar’s regime across northern Shan and Rakhine states.

The Irrawaddy’s guide to the dozens of ethnic armies and resistance groups fighting the junta as part of Operation 1027 and Operation 1111.

The Myanmar Economic Monitor says rising armed conflict since October and the regime’s economic mismanagement have restricted growth.h

The UNODC attributed the trend to the Taliban’s crackdown on production in Afghanistan, coupled with the gutting of Myanmar farmers’ normal revenue by war.

In Part 1 of an interview, Daw Zin Mar Aung discusses the civilian government’s moves to isolate the junta and cut off its funds, and the NUG’s ties with ethnic armies.

Ethnic army reports further gains as offensive expands across northern Rakhine and neighboring state.

As the fighting intensifies in Myanmar, Thailand faces the prospect of hundreds of thousands of refugees seeking shelter across the border.

The Karenni Nationalities Defense Force says Karenni State’s police headquarters has fallen and resistance groups are fighting to seize 10 remaining junta strongholds.  

Military personnel are reportedly selling black-market fuel in Naypyitaw as gas and diesel shortages worsen.

The Kuki National Organization says its forces overran a large Tamu Township in Sagaing Region on Sunday.

Beijing said it would «continue to provide support and facilitation» for the warring parties to hold peace talks.

Regime propaganda goes into overdrive after pistol-toting Min Aung Hlaing visits region’s safest town to meet injured soldiers and give cash, food and other aid to internally displaced people.

The Irrawaddy’s latest roundup includes incidents in Shan, Karenni and Rakhine states and Sagaing and Tanintharyi regions.

As the junta’s last base in Kutkai Township intensifies its shelling of civilian targets, roadblocks prevent residents of the villages from fleeing for safety – or accessing life-saving healthcare.

Saw Chit Thu and two others linked to a massive gambling project in Karen State were sanctioned over allegations of human trafficking, forced labor and other rights violations.

The decision was made at a meeting between Than Swe – the junta’s deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister – and his Thai counterpart in Beijing on Thursday.

The coordinated resistance attacks launched by the Brotherhood Alliance in northern Shan State on Oct. 27 now encompass fives states and four regions of Myanmar.

Also this week, army deserters got an amnesty, China was begged to intervene in Shan State, the coup leader sought to lift troop morale, and more.

Tens of thousands have abandoned their homes in Mone as shells and bombs rain down on residential areas, the Karen National Union says.     

Min Aung Hlaing was trying to distract attention from a string of military defeats by handing out 147 medals for gallantry on Thursday, including to officers who lost their lives against the resistance.

Decision to allow the market to set the exchange rate for the greenback and other foreign currencies leaves fuel importers at the mercy of wildly fluctuating rates, businesspeople say.

A Chin National Organization spokesperson said the four men were tortured and stabbed to death by junta troops sent to retake the strategic town seized by resistance forces last month.

Junta forces deploy airstrikes to defend key base under siege from resistance 1027 offensive in northern Shan State.