A resistance group in Myanmar has reportedly detained a candidate for the election scheduled for later this month.

Excited families are greeting relatives released from Myanmar’s Insein Prison as part of a mass amnesty granted by the country’s military rulers ahead of next month’s election.

Officials in Myanmar have destroyed nearly $300 million worth of illegal drugs with massive drug-burning ceremonies taking place in cities like Yangon, Mandalay, and Taunggyi.

The head of Myanmar’s military government has granted amnesty to nearly 4,900 prisoners to mark the country's traditional new year.

Emergency aid has streamed into Southeast Asia in the two days since a massive earthquake struck Myanmar and Thailand.

The smell of decaying bodies permeated the streets of Myanmar’s second-largest city on Sunday as people worked frantically by hand to clear rubble in the hope of finding someone still alive, two days after a massive earthquake struck that killed more than 1,600 people and left countless others buried.

Concern is rising that two nonviolent activists opposed to military rule in Myanmar are at high risk of torture after being arrested in raids this week in Yangon, the country’s biggest city.

Ever since Myanmar's military announced it is implementing conscription to fill its ranks, Thwel sees very few options.

Myanmar was a rising star in Southeast Asia before its military seized power three years ago in a takeover that has brought civil strife and a tightening vise of international sanctions, undoing years of progress and leaving the economy 10% smaller than it was in 2019.

A court in military-controlled Myanmar has ordered the family home of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, where she spent 15 years under house arrest, be put on auction in March following a decades-long legal dispute between her and her brother.

State media in Myanmar says the military-run Southeast Asian nation is holding its first joint naval exercise with Russia.

A former high-profile Myanmar army officer who had served as information minister and presidential spokesperson in a previous military-backed government has been arrested and charged with spreading false or inflammatory news.

Military-ruled Myanmar is allowing prisoners to have family visitors from outside.

Flooding triggered by heavy monsoon rains in Myanmar’s southern areas has displaced more than 14,000 people and disrupted traffic on the rail lines that connect the country’s biggest cities.

A court in military-ruled Myanmar has sentenced a photojournalist for an underground news agency to 20 years in prison with hard labor for his coverage of the aftermath of a deadly cyclone in May.

A Swiss citizen has been arrested in military-ruled Myanmar for creating a film that allegedly insulted Buddhism.

A top election official in Myanmar has been fatally shot in Yangon in the latest attack attributed to militants opposed to military rule.

The U.S. is imposing sanctions on a group of people and organizations connected to Myanmar’s military regime as the two-year anniversary nears for the coup that removed the country’s civilian government.

World Bank economists say Myanmar's economy grew 3% last year and will likely achieve the same pace in 2023, but still lags far behind where it stood before the army seized power in early 2021.

Myanmar’s military-controlled government released an Australian academic, a Japanese filmmaker, an ex-British diplomat and an American as part of a broad prisoner amnesty that also freed many local citizens held for protesting the army takeover.

Myanmar's central bank has promised improvements and warned against currency manipulation after an international watchdog put the military-controlled country on a terrorism and financial crimes blacklist.

A bombing near the front gate of Myanmar’s main prison for political detainees has killed at least eight people, including visitors and prison personnel.

A court in military-ruled Myanmar has convicted the country’s ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, on more corruption charges, adding six years to her earlier 11-year prison sentence.

Pro-democracy activists say Myanmar's military authorities have arrested a Japanese video journalist who was filming an anti-government protest in Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city.

Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has gone on trial in the latest corruption case filed against her.

An order by Myanmar's central bank that all foreign currency in bank accounts must be converted into the local currency has many in the military-ruled country worried over potential losses.

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.

The International Labor Organization says about 1.6 million jobs were lost in Myanmar in 2021, with women suffering the biggest setbacks as work in factories, tourism and construction dwindled amid the pandemic and a military takeover.

Myanmar had another rough year in 2021.

Human Rights Watch says the killing of at least 65 protesters in Myanmar’s biggest city on March 14 this year was planned and premeditated.

The United States and six other nations are calling on the international community to suspend all assistance to Myanmar’s military, and expressing grave concern over reports of human rights abuses by its security forces.

The lawyer for an American journalist jailed in Myanmar for more than five months says his client has been served with two new criminal charges, including one that carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Fifteen to 20 villagers including several teenagers have been reported killed in some of Myanmar’s deadliest fighting since July between government troops and resistance forces.

Tuesday (Aug. 31) marks the 100th day Huntington Woods native Danny Fenster has been held in a prison in Myanmar.

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.

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

Media and human rights advocates say journalists in Myanmar are in extreme peril as the military-controlled government cracks down on independent reporting.

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 government has begun releasing about 2,300 prisoners, including activists who were detained for protesting against the military’s seizure of power and journalists who reported on the protests.

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.

A report by the International Crisis Group says Myanmar's military rulers are seeking to limit access to the internet to only “whitelisted" sites to quash widespread opposition to their seizure of power.

The U.S. and British embassies in Myanmar have expressed concern about reports of fierce government attacks on a town in western Chin state, where the ruling junta declared martial law because of armed resistance to military rule.

More than 200 global organizations urged the U.N. Security Council to impose an arms embargo on Myanmar, saying the time for statements has passed and immediate action is needed to help protect peaceful protesters against military rule and other opponents of the junta.

China’s U.N. ambassador is urging stronger diplomatic efforts to resolve the confrontation in Myanmar since the Feb. 1 military coup.

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.

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 Biden administration is boosting sanctions against Myanmar's military government by hitting two state-owned companies responsible for significant amounts of foreign income.

Security forces in Myanmar have used violence against demonstrators who sought to celebrate last week’s formation of a shadow government to serve as an alternative to the military junta that has held power since a February coup.

Japan’s government is asking Myanmar to release a Japanese journalist who was arrested by security forces in Yangon.

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.

A state-run newspaper says Myanmar’s military junta has charged at least 19 medical doctors for participating in civil disobedience protests against the Feb. 1 coup.

Reports from Myanmar say at least 82 people were killed in one day in a crackdown by security forces on pro-democracy protesters.

Security forces in Myanmar have again cracked down heavily on anti-coup protesters even as the military downplayed reports of state violence.

An information blackout under Myanmar’s junta has worsened as fiber broadband service that is last legal way for ordinary people to access the internet became intermittently inaccessible.

Security forces in Myanmar have stormed a town where some residents had used homemade hunting rifles to resist the military’s February seizure of power, reportedly killing at least 11 civilians and injuring many others.

Many in Myanmar have found a safer, more substantive way to protest the country’s military coup.

Myanmar’s ruling junta has stepped up its campaign against celebrities who support nationwide protests against its seizure of power, publishing illustrated wanted lists in the state press and warning against using their work.

Security forces in central Myanmar have opened fire on anti-coup protesters, killing at least two people amid mounting violence since the country’s Feb. 1 military takeover.

Myanmar’s wireless broadband internet services have been shut down by order of the military, as protesters continue to defy the junta.

Protesters in Myanmar are marking two months since the military seized power by again defying the threat of lethal violence and demonstrating against its toppling of the country's democratically elected government.

Anti-coup protesters run to avoid military forces during a demonstration in Yangon, Myanmar on Wednesday March 31, 2021. (AP Photo)YANGON – Opponents of Myanmar’s military government declared the country’s 2008 constitution void and put forward an interim replacement charter late Wednesday in a major political challenge to the ruling junta. The moves, while more symbolic than practical, could help woo the country's armed ethnic militias to ally themselves with the mass protest movement against the military's seizure of power in February. The ceasefire announcement came after a flurry of combat with at least two armed ethnic minority organizations that operate on the country's borders. Ceasefires between the ethnic militias and central government forces have always been fragile, and the ethnic minority forces had no immediate reaction to the announcement.

A military and police crackdown on protesters in Myanmar may be driving more people across the border between China and Maynmar, though it is difficult to gauge. (AP Photo)BEIJING – At least nine people have tested positive for COVID-19 in a Chinese city on the border with Myanmar, health officials said Wednesday. Five are Chinese citizens are four are Myanmar nationals, the Yunnan Province Health Commission said in a report posted online. AdA military and police crackdown on protesters in Myanmar may be driving more people across the border, though it is difficult to gauge. AdRuili, a gateway for China-Myanmar trade, had a COVID-19 scare last September when two people who had crossed illegally from Myanmar tested positive, according to state media reports.

Anti-coup protesters stand beside a burning tire as they fortify their position against the military during a demonstration in Yangon, Myanmar on Tuesday March 30, 2021. Thailands prime minister denied Tuesday that his countrys security forces have sent villagers back to Myanmar who fled from military airstrikes and said his government is ready to shelter anyone who is escaping fighting. (AP Photo)WASHINGTON – The State Department on Tuesday ordered non-essential U.S. diplomats and their families to leave Myanmar, as a deadly government crackdown on demonstrators protesting last month’s coup intensifies. The department also reiterated an earlier warning for Americans not to travel to Myanmar, also known as Burma. “The Burmese military has detained and deposed elected government officials,” the statement said.

Security forces stand by on Hledan road in Kamayut township of Yangon in Myanmar, Monday, March 29, 2021. Over 100 people across the country were killed by security forces on Saturday alone, including several children. “The United States strongly condemns the Burmese security forces’ brutal violence against civilians. AdTai's office said the United States was immediately suspending “all U.S. engagement with Burma under the 2013 Trade and Investment Framework Agreement.'' AdTwo-way trade between the two countries doesn't amount to much: Myanmar last year was the United States' 84th biggest partner in the trade of goods such as automobiles and machinery.

Family and friends were paying their respects to Shwe Myint, a 36-year-old who was shot dead by security forces on Saturday. Sai Wai Yan was shot dead by security forces as he played outside his home. It has again made Myanmar the focus of international scrutiny as security forces have repeatedly fired into crowds of protesters. The killings happened throughout the country as Myanmar’s military celebrated the annual Armed Forces Day holiday with a parade in the country’s capital, Naypyitaw. China and Russia are both major arms suppliers to Myanmar’s military as well as politically sympathetic.

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.

In this Jan. 7, 2020, file photo, a man shows new currency notes outside a bank in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo, File)BANGKOK – The two huge Myanmar military-controlled conglomerates targeted by U.S. and UK sanctions following the army coup last month span a wide spectrum of businesses. Human rights advocates applauded the decisions to target those companies and cut them off from dealings with banks and businesses in the United States and United Kingdom. They will have a wider reach than earlier measures taken against Myanmar’s coup leaders, who do little direct business with U.S. banks or other U.S. businesses. U.S. and UK companies doing business with the companies will need more extensive due diligence to avoid violating the sanctions.

(AP Photo)YANGON – The toll of protesters confirmed killed in Myanmar since last month’s military takeover has reached 320, a group that verifies details of deaths and arrests announced Friday. Myanmar news agencies, including the Democratic Voice of Burma and Mizzima, reported that three more people had been shot dead by security forces in the city of Myeik in southern Myanmar. Most, including Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, remain detained. Myanmar’s homegrown Civil Disobedience Movement against military rule is targeting the economy in order to make it difficult for the junta to govern. Yanghee Lee, the former independent U.N. expert for human rights in Myanmar, applauded the nomination of the CDM with a tweet that read: “Absolutely fantastic.

CORRECTS DATE - Anti-coup protesters shout slogans during a rally in Yangon, Myanmar on Thursday March 25, 2021. “These sanctions are not directed at the people of Burma.” Burma is another name for Myanmar. Opponents of the coup, inside and outside Myanmar, had been lobbying strongly to target the holding companies as well. Inside Myanmar, protesters returned to the streets in large numbers, a day after people engaged in a “silence strike” by staying home and closing businesses for the day. The foreign ministers of Indonesia and Singapore called on Myanmar's military to stop the use of force and prevent more casualties.

AP journalist Thein Zaw, center, waves outside Insein prison after his release Wednesday, March 24, 2021 in Yangon, Myanmar. Thein Zaw, a journalist for The Associated Press who was arrested last month while covering a protest against the coup in Myanmar, was released from detention on Wednesday. (AP Photo)YANGON – Thein Zaw, a journalist for The Associated Press who was arrested more than three weeks ago while covering a protest against the coup in Myanmar, was released from detention on Wednesday. The AP and many press freedom organizations have called for the release of Thein Zaw and the other detained members of the press. “The Associated Press is deeply relieved that AP journalist Thein Zaw has been freed from prison in Myanmar,” said Ian Phillips, AP vice president for international news.

Arrested protesters wave to people while onboard a bus that is getting out of Insein prison and will transport them to an undisclosed location Wednesday, March 24, 2021 in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo)YANGON – Hundreds of people imprisoned for demonstrating against last month’s coup in Myanmar were released Wednesday, a rare conciliatory gesture by the military that appeared aimed at placating the protest movement. Also Wednesday, Thein Zaw, a journalist for The Associated Press who was arrested last month while covering an anti-coup protest, was released. The mass release came the same day that Thein Zaw was also freed. “There must be accountability for all the crimes and human rights violations that continue to be perpetrated in Myanmar," he said.

FILE - This undated family file photo shows Associated Press journalist Thein Zaw in Yangon, Myanmar. (Thein Zaw family via AP, File)YANGON – Associated Press journalist Thein Zaw and several other members of the media who have been charged under a public order law while covering anti-coup protests in Myanmar are returning to court Wednesday. Until then, Thein Zaw had not been seen by his lawyer or any of his family members since his arrest. AdTin Zar Oo said that her client looked healthy at the March 12 hearing, but suffered from asthma at night. The Associated Press and many press freedom organizations have called for the release of Thein Zaw and the other detained journalists.

Armed police remove makeshift blockages set up by protesters as they patrol streets in downtown Yangon, Myanmar, Sunday, March 21, 2021. Protests against the coup continued in cities and town across the country, including in Mandalay and Yangon. While their protest was left alone, security forces used violence elsewhere and shot dead at least one person. AdAt least one protester was shot dead Sunday in Monywa, another central Myanmar city, according to the online news site Myanmar Now and numerous social media posts. In a more rural outlying area, protesters from several villages in Launglone Township held their protest on motorbikes.

Police and military forces occupy a road block barricade in Yangon, Myanmar, Friday, March 19, 2021. “People are really looking for concerted international action in terms of sanctions. Getting Security Council approval for U.N. sanctions or peacekeepers will be an uphill struggle. That’s because it will require support or an abstention from China, a veto-wielding council member that calls itself a friend of Myanmar and has a policy opposing sanctions. Ad"The protests and the violence haven’t really spread in Rakhine as they have in the rest of the country," Kirkwood said.

(AP Photo)YANGON – Two more journalists were detained in Myanmar on Friday, part of the junta’s intensifying efforts to choke off information about resistance to last month’s coup. The journalists were covering legal proceedings against Win Htein, a detained senior official from the National League for Democracy, the party that ran the country before the takeover. AdAbout 40 journalists have been arrested since the Feb. 1 coup, with roughly half still in detention, including Thein Zaw of The Associated Press. “Indonesia urges that the use of violence in Myanmar be stopped immediately to avoid more victims. “Indonesia also urges dialogue and reconciliation to be carried out immediately to restore democracy, peace and stability in Myanmar."

Some say they suspect the military instigated attacks on the factories to justify imposing martial law in industrial zones that have been hotspots for protests against the junta. AdTurmoil is bad for business and will deter investors, the Chinese state-owned broadcaster CGTN said in a commentary. AdMuch of the controversy over the arson attacks has centered on what happened in and around the Chinese-owned Xing Jia shoe factory in Hlaing Thayar. “That's worrying because there are a lot of native Myanmar Chinese businesspeople as well. AdThe coup and its aftermath have raised risks for all doing business in and with Myanmar, analysts say.

An anti-coup protester uses a fire extinguisher to provide cover for others as security forces approach their encampment in Yangon, Myanmar, Wednesday, March 17, 2021. (AP Photo)YANGON – Protesters in Myanmar fired slingshots and threw Molotov cocktails toward lines of security forces after apparently coming under fire Wednesday in a rare incidence of anti-coup demonstrators fighting back against a relentlessly violent crackdown. Smoke and fires were seen in Kalay and Yangon Wednesday night, reportedly from the authorities burning down barricades protesters had set up during the day. “Junta forces target protesters but also ordinary people using sniper rifles regardless of the time or place,” according to association. The junta has denied any abusive actions, but concedes protesters have been shot when taking part in what it has described as rioting.

(AP Photo)YANGON – At least two people protesting last month's military coup were reported shot and killed by Myanmar security forces Tuesday after a morning of peaceful marches. Mobile data service had been used to stream live video coverage of protests, often showing security forces attacking demonstrators. So, security forces had to handle the situation very hard,” according to the account. Meanwhile, the shooting had to disperse the protesters, resulting in some security forces and protesters’ casualties.”Virtually all independent accounts blame security forces for initiating violence against unarmed protesters. “In Burma, the military is attempting to overturn the results of a democratic election and is brutally repressing peaceful protests."

Black smoke billows from the industrial zone of Hlaing Thar Yar township in Yangon, Myanmar Sunday, March 14, 2021. Police and firefighters were sent to protect the factories, which are scattered across several industrial zones in Yangon, spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing. “If you want to do business peacefully in Myanmar, respect Myanmar people," said Aye Myat Kyaw. The attacks on Myanmar’s garment factories have injected an extra complication into an already very complex situation. Myanmar's military leaders have often chafed at China's outsized influence over their economy.

A number of people were shot dead during protests in Myanmar's largest city on Sunday, as security forces continued their violent crackdown against dissent following last month's military coup. (AP Photo)MANDALAY – Myanmar's ruling junta has declared martial law in parts of the country's largest city as security forces killed more protesters in an increasingly lethal crackdown on resistance to last month's military coup. Most of those killed — 34 — were in Yangon, where two townships, Hlaing Thar Yar and neighboring Shwepyitha were being placed under martial law. The aid group's tally of Sunday's victims appeared to raise beyond 100 the number of civilians killed by security forces since the coup. Many hospitals are occupied by security forces, and as a result are boycotted by medical personnel and shunned by protesters.

Protesters attend a candlelight night rally in Yangon, Myanmar, Saturday, Mar. Security forces in Myanmar on Saturday again met protests against last month's military takeover with lethal force, killing at least four people by shooting live ammunition at demonstrators. (AP Photo)MANDALAY – Security forces in Myanmar on Saturday again met protests against last month’s military takeover with lethal force, killing at least seven people by shooting live ammunition at demonstrators. Many hospitals are occupied by security forces, and as a result are boycotted by medical personnel and shunned by protesters. The Kachin ethnic minority fields its own well-trained and equipped guerrilla force, and there has been outrage in Myitkyina at security forces’ killing of anti-coup protesters there.

People light candles on the street during a night demonstration despite a curfew imposed by authorities in Yangon, Myanmar on Friday, Mar. Police in Myanmar fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters in the country's two largest cities and elsewhere on Friday, as authorities continued their harsh crackdown on opponents of last month's military coup. (AP Photo)The Biden administration offered temporary legal residency Friday to people from Myanmar, where military leaders have overthrown the country's elected government and are using deadly force against protesters. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the temporary protected status would last for 18 months. Security forces have killed dozens of protesters since the coup.

Protesters hold placards and gesture with a three-finger sign of resistance as they protest against the military coup in Mandalay, Myanmar, Friday, March 12, 2021. Myanmar's security forces shot to death at least 10 people protesting the military's coup, spurning a U.N. Security Council appeal to stop using lethal force. (AP Photo)MANDALAY – Police in Myanmar fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters in the country's two largest cities and elsewhere on Friday, as authorities continued their harsh crackdown on opponents of last month's military coup. AdIn Yangon, riot police fired tear gas to break up a protest, and demonstrators quickly sprayed vapor from fire extinguishers as they retreated. Local media in Shan State in eastern Myanmar reported Friday that a freelance journalist from Poland was beaten and arrested by security forces in the eastern city of Taunggyi.

FILE - This undated family file photo provided on Wednesday, March 3, 2021 shows Associated Press journalist Thein Zaw in Yangon, Myanmar. (Thein Zaw family via AP, File)BRUSSELS – A total of 65 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2020 while doing their jobs, according to the International Federation of Journalists. There were also two killings in both Iraq, Somalia while Bangladesh, Cameroon, Honduras, Paraguay, Russia and Sweden all reported one journalist killed. The federation said Turkey is “the biggest jailer of journalists in the world" — with at least 67 media workers in its cells. AdAmong those currently jailed is Associated Press journalist Thein Zaw, arrested in Myanmar while covering demonstrations against the military's seizure of power.

FILE - This undated family file photo provided on Wednesday, March 3, 2021 shows Associated Press journalist Thein Zaw in Yangon, Myanmar. (Thein Zaw family via AP, File)YANGON – A court in Myanmar extended on Friday the pretrial detention of an Associated Press journalist who was arrested while covering demonstrations against a coup. Thein Zaw had not been seen by his lawyer or any of his family members since his arrest. Thein Zaw was arrested as he was photographing police, some of them armed, charging down a street at anti-coup protesters. Mizzima, Democratic Voice of Burma, Khit Thit Media, Myanmar Now and 7Day News have continued operating despite being barred from broadcasting or publishing on any media platform.

Security forces have attacked previous protests with live ammunition as well, leading to the deaths of at least 60 people. On Wednesday, the U.N. Security Council unanimously called for reversing the coup and strongly condemned the violence against peaceful protesters. Reports from Kachin, the northernmost state, said guerrilla forces from the Kachin ethnic minority attacked a government base on Thursday and were in turn attacked. The reports could not be independently confirmed, and ethnic guerrilla armies as well as the government often release exaggerated information. Myanmar has more than a dozen ethnic guerrilla armies, mostly in border areas, a legacy of decades-old struggles for greater autonomy from the central government.

Anti-coup protesters take cover as a convoy of soldiers and policemen arrive in Mandalay, Myanmar, Wednesday, March 10, 2021. (AP Photo)MANDALAY – Myanmar security forces on Wednesday raided a neighborhood in the country’s largest city that houses state railway workers who have gone on strike to protest last month’s military coup. Police sealed off the Mingalar Taung Nyunt neighborhood in Yangon where the Ma Hlwa Kone train station and housing for railway workers are located. The raid on rail workers comes just days after several Myanmar unions, including the Myanmar Railway Worker’s Union Federation, issued a joint call for a nationwide work stoppage. Police last month attempted to intimidate railway workers in Mandalay by roaming through their housing area one night, shouting and randomly firing guns.

Anti-coup protesters hold makeshift shields during a demonstration in Yangon, Myanmar Tuesday, March 9, 2021. The death of Zaw Myat Lin in custody was the second in recent days. Zaw Myat Lin was arrested Monday night as he tried to escape from a police raid, the Voice of Myanmar online news service and other media reported. Maung Saungkha, an activist and friend of Zaw Myat Lin, said his family was summoned to retrieve his body on Tuesday and was not told how he died. It announced that the licenses of five local media outlets — Mizzima, DVB, Khit Thit Media, Myanmar Now and 7Day News — had been canceled.

The crackdown comes as the military has escalated violence against mass protests and as independent media continue to cover the arrests and shootings by troops in cities across Myanmar. In some instances, journalists are using social media to get the information out. How has the media landscape in Myanmar changed since the coup? HOW ARE INDEPENDENT MEDIA OUTLETS RESPONDING? Other state media include the Myanmar News Agency and army-controlled Myawaddy TV.

It announced that the licenses of five local media outlets — Mizzima, DVB, Khit Thit Media, Myanmar Now and 7Day News — have been canceled. We call on those security forces to withdraw and allow people to go home safely,” said the U.S. Embassy's statement. On Monday night, security forces chased crowds, harassed residents watching from windows, and fired stun grenades. AdGuterres also called the occupation of a number of public hospitals in Myanmar by security forces “completely unacceptable,” the U.N. spokesman said. Security forces shot and killed two people in northern Myanmar during the day, local media reported.

Protesters are dispersed as riot police fired tear gas behind a makeshift barricade in Yangon, Myanmar, Sunday, March 7, 2021. AdFactory workers, mostly in the Yangon area, are largely involved in the garment industry, which generates major export earnings for Myanmar. Multiple reports from Yangon said there had been police raids Saturday night seeking to seize organizers and supporters of the protest movement. AdIn Yangon and elsewhere, raids are carried out nightly after the 8 p.m. curfew by police and soldiers. The coup reversed years of slow progress toward democracy in Myanmar, which for five decades had languished under strict military rule that led to international isolation and sanctions.

This undated family photo provided on Wednesday, March 3, 2021 shows Associated Press journalist Thein Zaw in Yangon, Myanmar. On Friday, March 5, 2021, the Society of Professional Journalists called on Myanmar to release Thein Zaw and five others who were detained while covering protests in the Southeast Asian nation. Thein Zaw was arrested on Feb. 27 while covering a protest against the military coup that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. AdAuthorities charged Thein Zaw and the other journalists with violating a public order law that could see them imprisoned for up to three years. “Those journalists, like all journalists, are doing their jobs, and shouldn’t be punished for it.

The U.N. special envoy for Myanmar on Friday called for urgent Security Council action, saying about 50 peaceful protesters were killed and scores were injured in the military's worst crackdowns this week. Protests were reported Saturday morning in the country's biggest city, Yangon, where stun grenades and tear gas were used against demonstrators. Any kind of coordinated action at the U.N. will be difficult because two permanent members of the Security Council, China and Russia, are likely to veto it. AdThe International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies urged immediate protection for all Red Cross volunteers and health workers. “We express profound sadness that Myanmar Red Cross volunteers have been injured while on duty providing lifesaving first aid treatment to wounded people, in line with fundamental principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality.

Anti-coup protesters hold up images of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi as they gather in Yangon, Myanmar, Friday, Mar. Demonstrators defy growing violence by security forces and stage more anti-coup protests ahead of a special U.N. Security Council meeting on the country's political crisis. (AP Photo)CAMEROON – The U.N. special envoy for Myanmar called Friday for urgent Security Council action to reverse Myanmar’s military coup, saying about 50 peaceful protesters were killed in the military’s worst crackdowns this week and scores more were seriously injured. The Security Council took no immediate action. The U.N. envoy stressed that a peaceful solution requires the immediate release of Suu Kyi and President Win Myint.

Security forces escalated their crackdown with greater use of lethal force and mass arrests. At least 18 protesters were shot and killed Sunday and 38 on Wednesday, according to the U.N. Human Rights Office. Any kind of coordinated action at the U.N. will be difficult because two permanent members of the Security Council, China and Russia, are likely to veto it. Many cases of targeted brutality by security forces in the streets have been captured in photos and videos that have circulated widely on social media. Videos have showed security forces shooting people at point-blank range and chasing down and savagely beating demonstrators.

Anti-coup protesters discharge fire extinguishers to counter the impact of the tear gas fired by police during a demonstration in Yangon, Myanmar, Thursday, March 4, 2021. Demonstrators in Myanmar protesting last month's military coup returned to the streets Thursday, undaunted by the killing of at least 38 people the previous day by security forces. (AP Photo)WASHINGTON – The Biden administration stepped up its condemnation of the coup in Myanmar on Thursday, demanding that military authorities stop their brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters and release demonstrators and journalists who have been detained. The AP and press freedom groups have called for Zaw’s immediate release, but there has been no response from the authorities. Videos showed security forces shooting a person at point-blank range and chasing down and savagely beating demonstrators.

Demonstrators in Myanmar protesting last month's military coup returned to the streets Thursday, undaunted by the killing of at least 38 people the previous day by security forces. (AP Photo)Footage of a brutal crackdown on protests against a coup in Myanmar unleashed outrage and calls for a stronger international response Thursday, a day after 38 people were killed. Videos showed security forces shooting a person at point-blank range and chasing down and savagely beating demonstrators. As part of the crackdown, security forces have also arrested around 1,200 people, including journalists, according to U.N. envoy Schraner Burgener. The Security Council has scheduled closed-door consultations for Friday on calls to reverse the coup — including from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres — and stop the escalating crackdown.

In this image made from video taken on Feb. 27, 2021, Associated Press journalist Thein Zaw is arrested by police in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo)YANGON – A video of the arrest of Associated Press journalist Thein Zaw as he was photographing Myanmar security forces charging at anti-coup protesters shows him being quickly surrounded and held in a chokehold as handcuffs are placed on him. Ad“The Associated Press calls for the immediate release of AP journalist Thein Zaw, who has been charged with a crime in Myanmar for simply doing his job,” Ian Phillips, AP vice president for international news, said Wednesday. The group includes journalists working for Myanmar Now, Myanmar Photo Agency, 7Day News, Zee Kwet online news and a freelancer. The U.S. said it was concerned about the increasing attacks on and arrests of journalists by Myanmar security forces.

Anti-coup protesters run as one of them discharges a fire extinguisher to counter the impact of tear gas fired by riot policemen in Yangon, Myanmar, Wednesday, March 3, 2021. Demonstrators in Myanmar took to the streets again on Wednesday to protest last month's seizure of power by the military. The coup reversed years of slow progress toward democracy in the Southeast Asian nation after five decades of military rule. AdAs part of the crackdown, security forces have also arrested hundreds of people, including journalists. Ignoring that appeal, Myanmar’s security forces have continued to attack peaceful protesters.