Myanmar

The stories underscore the devastating human cost of Myanmar's ongoing crisis, from a landslide killing Rohingya children in a Bangladesh camp to the post-coup death toll exceeding 100,000.

Meanwhile, the junta promotes a tourism revival and claims Suu Kyi is healthy, but ASEAN envoys seek verification amid widespread violence and economic collapse. The disconnect between official narratives and on-the-ground realities remains the dominant theme.

Tracking: Myanmar · NUG · Rohingya

Geography: Myanmar, Rakhine State, Bangladesh border, Southeast Asia

1. Landslide kills eight Rohingya refugees at school in Bangladesh camp

Heavy monsoon rain triggered a landslide at the world's largest Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on Wednesday, killing seven children and their teacher during a class.

The deaths doubled the week's rain-related toll after eight others died sleeping in three camps on Monday night. More than 1.

2 million Rohingya live in crowded hillside shelters on deforested land, making them vulnerable to landslides. Bangladesh Refugee Commissioner Mohammed Mizanur Rahman confirmed the deaths, noting four died at the scene and four in hospital.

Refugee representative Sayed Ullah blamed a lack of proper coordination and safer accommodation. The UN considers the situation one of the world's largest and most protracted refugee crises.

The 2017 Myanmar military crackdown that drove most Rohingya to Bangladesh is the subject of a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.

Key facts:

- Seven children and one teacher killed in landslide on July 9, 2026.

- Eight others died from landslides on Monday night across three camps.

- Heavy rain is forecast to continue for four more days.

- Over 1.2 million Rohingya refugees live in Cox's Bazar camps.

- Bangladesh Refugee Commissioner Mohammed Mizanur Rahman reported the deaths.

Why it matters: The recurrent landslides expose the lethal inadequacy of shelter and planning in the Rohingya camps, where deforestation and overcrowding turn seasonal monsoon rains into mass casualty events.

With Bangladesh already resistant to new permanent settlements and Myanmar's junta refusing repatriation, the refugees remain trapped in acute humanitarian risk.

The disaster also pressures Bangladesh’s government and international aid agencies to accelerate relocation to safer ground, though political and financial constraints persist.

Meanwhile, the ongoing genocide case at the ICJ against Myanmar adds a legal dimension, but delivers no immediate relief to those in harm’s way.

Myanmar Now

2. Myanmar junta pushes tourism revival to signal economic recovery after election

Myanmar's military-backed government is betting on tourism as a visible sign of economic recovery, targeting 1. 8 million foreign visitors this year by easing visa rules and courting Chinese and Thai travelers.

Official figures show 973,263 international arrivals in 2025, with arrivals through May up about 5% year-on-year. Luxury hotel occupancy in Yangon has risen roughly 10% since the April election, driven by business travelers and pilgrimage groups.

Despite U.S. and Western “Do Not Travel” advisories due to ongoing civil war, arrivals from the U.S. rose 17% through May, though the target remains far below the 4. 7 million visitors Myanmar welcomed in 2015.

Key facts:

- Myanmar targets 1.8 million foreign visitors in 2025, up from 973,263 in 2025.

- Arrivals through May 2025 rose about 5% year-on-year, reaching 448,205.

- Chinese and Thai travelers are the main sources, with Chinese arrivals up 12%.

- Luxury hotel occupancy in Yangon climbed roughly 10% since the April election.

- The U.S. State Department maintains a “Do Not Travel” advisory for Myanmar.

Why it matters: The junta’s tourism push is a high-stakes gamble to project normalcy and attract foreign currency and investment amid a brutal civil war.

Success would lend legitimacy to the military regime and open Myanmar to renewed economic engagement from China and Thailand, its key regional patrons. Failure, however, would expose the depth of the country’s isolation and ongoing instability.

The parallel rise in business travelers suggests investment interest, but the absence of Western leisure tourists—combined with active conflict in Rakhine and elsewhere—means any recovery remains fragile and heavily skewed toward authoritarian-aligned visitors.

Spokesman

3. Myanmar junta tells ASEAN Suu Kyi is healthy, envoys seek verification

Myanmar Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe told his ASEAN counterparts at an informal meeting in Bangkok on Sunday that ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi is in good health and being well cared for, according to Thai and Philippine foreign ministers.

The junta’s claim came during the first such meeting since the February 2021 coup, but ASEAN envoys pressed for concrete action on the Five-Point Consensus, with Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro—ASEAN’s special envoy—seeking direct access to Suu Kyi to verify the assertion.

ASEAN foreign ministers urged Myanmar to take more concrete steps toward reducing violence, holding inclusive dialogue, and releasing political prisoners.

Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, has been detained since the coup and was moved to house arrest after her sentence was reduced. The Thai foreign minister noted that allowing Lazaro to meet Suu Kyi would help verify the junta’s claim.

Key facts:

- Myanmar Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe spoke at ASEAN informal meeting in Bangkok on Sunday.

- Aung San Suu Kyi is in good health and well cared for, he told counterparts.

- ASEAN special envoy Maria Theresa Lazaro seeks to meet Suu Kyi to verify the claim.

- ASEAN urged Myanmar to implement the Five-Point Consensus peace initiative.

- Suu Kyi has been detained since the February 2021 coup, now under house arrest.

Why it matters: The junta’s unsupported health assurance is a bid to deflect international criticism while maintaining Suu Kyi’s isolation. ASEAN’s demand for direct verification tests the bloc’s relevance and credibility as a mediator.

If the junta refuses access, it will expose continued obstruction, weakening ASEAN’s leverage and delaying any resolution to Myanmar’s civil war.

The NUG and ethnic armed groups, including those in Rakhine, watch closely: any sign of ASEAN softening could embolden the junta, while a verified denial of Suu Kyi’s well-being would fuel further resistance and international action.

Globalnation

4. Myanmar post-coup death toll exceeds 100,000 as economy collapses

Five years after the 2021 military coup, Myanmar has become Asia’s deadliest conflict, with over 100,000 people killed according to ACLED.

The war is the most fragmented anywhere, involving more than 1,200 armed factions, and the junta is responsible for roughly 71% of civilian fatalities, primarily through airstrikes on markets, hospitals, and schools.

Economic collapse has erased a decade of progress: GDP shrank nearly 18% in 2021, poverty doubled to 49. 7% by 2023, the middle class was cut in half, and inflation topped 30%.

The price of a basic food basket has nearly tripled, leaving three in four people living at or near subsistence.

Key facts:

- ACLED counts over 100,000 killed since the February 2021 coup.

- More than 1,200 armed factions make Myanmar the most fragmented conflict.

- GDP shrank nearly 18% in 2021 and has barely recovered.

- Poverty rate doubled to 49.7% by 2023, reversing gains since 2005.

- Inflation topped 30% by 2025, and food basket prices nearly tripled.

Why it matters: The junta’s systematic airstrikes against civilian targets and economic devastation have turned Myanmar into a failed state, yet global attention has shifted elsewhere amid other geopolitical crises.

The humanitarian catastrophe — with three quarters of the population at subsistence level — threatens to destabilize neighboring countries through refugee flows and illicit trade.

Without concerted international pressure or a political settlement, the conflict will likely deepen, further entrenching the military’s grip and prolonging suffering for millions.

Cfr