The People’s Defence Force has suffered a major symbolic setback by losing control of the first town it seized – accusing the Myanmar military of destroying Kawlin in order to reclaim it – but its troops vow to fight on.
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The People’s Defence Force has suffered a major symbolic setback by losing control of the first town it seized – accusing the Myanmar military of destroying Kawlin in order to reclaim it – but its troops vow to fight on.
It’s been more than nine months since Rakhine State plunged into an even darker chapter, when attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army prompted a brutal army crackdown that has seen 700,000 people – overwhelmingly Muslims who identify as Rohingya – flee over the border into Bangladesh.

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Myanmar enters 2021 with more friends than foes
The early delivery of vaccines is one of the many boons of the country’s geopolitics, but to really take advantage, Myanmar must bury the legacy of its isolationist past.
Will the Kayin BGF go quietly?
The Kayin State Border Guard Force has come under intense pressure from the Tatmadaw over its extensive, controversial business interests and there’s concern the ultimatum could trigger fresh hostilities in one of the country’s most war-torn areas.