Myanmar

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He Flew to Asia for a Job. The Offer Was a Ruse
He Flew to
Asia for a Job.
The Offer
Was a Ruse
longform

He Flew to Asia for a Job. The Offer Was a Ruse

New York Times shares the story of a Ugandan man who was forced to be a scammer

(Newser) - Jalil Muyeke was the victim of Internet scammers. But as Tara Siegel Bernard writes for the New York Times , "the masterminds behind these schemes didn't drain his bank account. ... They stole seven months of his life." The 32-year-old from Uganda is one of thousands of such victims:...

With No Options Left, They Keep Risking Lives by Boat

But 1 in 8 Rohingya refugees who flee Myanmar or camps in Bangladesh are lost at sea

(Newser) - Across a treacherous stretch of water, the Rohingya came by the thousands, then died by the hundreds. Last year, nearly 4,500 ethnic Rohingya Muslims—two-thirds of them women and children—fled their homeland of Myanmar and refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh by boat, the United Nations' refugee agency reported....

This 'Pig Butchering' Scam Has Victims on Both Sides

Modern-day slaves are forced to try to scam unsuspecting Americans

(Newser) - It has a memorable name—and a devastating impact. CNN takes a deep dive into the rise of a "pig butchering" scam involving cryptocurrency, modern-day slaves, and duped Americans. It spent six months speaking with victims, investigators, and, yes, some scammers to pull the veil back on a scheme...

Suu Kyi Denied Request for Urgent Medical Care

Myanmar's former leader isn't eating well as a result of gum disease: reports

(Newser) - Myanmar's military rulers have denied a request to send an outside doctor to the imprisoned former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, 78, who is said to be in need of urgent care. "She was suffering swelling in her gums and could not eat well and is feeling light-headed...

Hip-Hop Artist in Myanmar Gets 20 Years for Speaking Out

Byu Har criticized military-run government over electricity shortages

(Newser) - A 38-year-old Burmese hip-hop artist has been found guilty of criticizing Myanmar's military-controlled government and sentenced to 20 years in prison, a family member said Thursday. The sentence given to Byu Har, also known as Min Oat Myanmar, appeared to be the most severe so far given to any...

For Guardians of Rare Turtles, an Unprecedented Sight

Hatchlings of critically endangered species recorded emerging for the first time

(Newser) - Conservationists are celebrating an unprecedented sight in regard to a species of turtle on the brink of extinction: A batch of babies emerged from the mud in Myanmar, and their human guardians were able to record it for the first time in the wild, reports the New York Times . The...

100 Feared Dead in Attack on Myanmar Village

Witness says government fighter jet bombed crowd of people

(Newser) - Airstrikes by Myanmar’s military on Tuesday killed as many as 100 people, including many children, who were attending a ceremony held by opponents of army rule, said a witness, a member of a local pro-democracy group, and independent media. The military is increasingly using airstrikes to counter a widespread...

Aung San Suu Kyi Hears Her Fate in Latest Corruption Trial

Ex-Myanmar leader convicted, hit with 7-year sentence, bringing her total to 33 years

(Newser) - A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted the country's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi of corruption Friday, sentencing her to seven years in prison in the last of a string of criminal cases against her, a legal official said. The court's action leaves her with a total of...

Gov't Helicopters Allegedly Hit Myanmar School, Killing Kids

13 people killed in total, per reports

(Newser) - Government helicopters have attacked a school and village in north-central Myanmar, killing at least 13 people including seven children, a school administrator and an aid worker said Monday. Civilian casualties often occur in attacks by the military government on pro-democracy insurgents and their allies. However, the number of children killed...

Suu Kyi Sentenced to 4 More Years in Prison
More Bad News for Suu Kyi
UPDATED

More Bad News for Suu Kyi

Ousted leader sentenced to 3 more years for election fraud conviction

(Newser) - Update: A court in Myanmar on Friday sentenced the country’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to three years' imprisonment after finding her guilty of involvement in election fraud, the AP reports. The ruling adds more jail time to the 17 years she is already serving for other offenses...

Myanmar Carries Out First Executions in 46 Years

Hangings were widely condemned

(Newser) - Myanmar has carried out its first executions in nearly 50 years with the hangings of a former National League for Democracy lawmaker, a democracy activist, and two men accused of violence after the country's military takeover last year. The executions announced Monday were carried out despite worldwide pleas for...

Convictions Rack Up for Suu Kyi
Convictions Rack Up for Suu Kyi

Convictions Rack Up for Suu Kyi

She is to serve at least 11 years in prison after 3 convictions, the latest for corruption

(Newser) - Myanmar's former elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to five years in prison on Wednesday for corruption, in just one of many cases against the 76-year-old Nobel laureate, who was ousted from power by the military in a February 2021 coup. Human rights groups believe the junta...

Biden Administration Getting Ready to Declare a Genocide

White House will reportedly make the designation formally on Monday

(Newser) - The Biden administration intends to declare that Myanmar’s years-long repression of the Rohingya Muslim population is a “genocide," US officials said Sunday. Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to make the long-anticipated designation on Monday at an event at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, according to the...

In Myanmar, Reports of Torture, Mass Killings

In one case, villagers say soldiers rounded up 40 men and killed them

(Newser) - Two separate accounts accuse the Myanmar military of systemic torture and, in one of case, mass killings. The reports, one in the BBC and the other in the New York Times , allege that military leaders who took control of the country in a February coup are attempting to crush dissent....

Aung San Suu Kyi Sentenced to 4 Years

In the first of a series of cases against her

(Newser) - A special court in Myanmar’s capital sentenced the country’s ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to four years in prison on Monday after finding her guilty of incitement and violating coronavirus restrictions, a legal official said. The sentencing was the first in a series of cases in which...

They Escaped Certain Death Only to Face It Again

For some Rohingya refugees, assassins lurk

(Newser) - As the New York Times tells it, they've gone from one hell to the next. The first would be Myanmar, the country Rohingya Muslims fled en masse in 2017 to escape ethnic cleansing. Where most have landed is Bangladesh, which is home to what is the biggest single refugee...

Freed American Journalist Speaks Out

Danny Fenster says he is relieved to be returning to the US from Myanmar

(Newser) - American journalist Danny Fenster, who was freed after nearly six months in jail in military-ruled Myanmar, expressed relief that he on his way home ahead of his arrival in the United States on Tuesday. “I’m feeling all right physically,” a bearded Fenster, in baggy drawstring pants and...

US Journalist Gets 11 Years With Hard Labor in Myanmar
US Journalist Is Freed
From Prison in Myanmar
UPDATED

US Journalist Is Freed From Prison in Myanmar

Danny Fenster was sentenced days ago to 11 years

(Newser) - Update: American journalist Danny Fenster, sentenced only days ago to 11 years hard labor in Myanmar, has been freed and is on his way home, per the AP . Former US Ambassador to the UN Bill Richardson said Fenster had been handed over to him in Myanmar and would return to...

Myanmar General Announces He's Prime Minister Now
General: I'm Prime Minister Now

General: I'm Prime Minister Now

Myanmar's ruler promises elections in 2 years

(Newser) - Six months after seizing power from the elected government, Myanmar's military leader on Sunday 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. "We must create conditions to hold a free and...

Human Rights Watch: Suu Kyi Being Tried on 'Bogus' Charges

Human Rights Watch says charges are a ploy to keep her from running for election again

(Newser) - Myanmar’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi went on trial Monday on charges that many observers say are an attempt by the junta that deposed her to eliminate her as a political force, erase the country’s democratic gains, and cement the military’s power. Suu Kyi's...

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