Calls for release of all political prisoners in Myanmar
The ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), a group of current and former MPs across Southeast Asia, called for the immediate and unconditional release of political prisoners, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, on Monday. It also urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) not to recognize regime leader Min Aung Hlaing’s inauguration as Burma’s president on April 10.
“Since the coup, Min Aung Hlaing—who was not legitimately elected—and the junta have abused power to carry out arrests, pardons, bombings, and killings, acting beyond the law with no respect for human rights or democracy,” Mercy Chriesty Barends, the APHR chairperson and a member of Indonesian House of Representatives, stated in a press release on April 20.
The ASEAN 2026 chair Philippines welcomed the release of President Win Myint, calling the amnesty granted to 4,514 prisoners a “significant development.” It also demanded the release of all other political prisoners in Burma. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has documented that 22,170 people, who were arrested for opposing the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021, remain behind bars.
Read our latest DVB English News story: President Win Myint placed under house arrest by the regime in Naypyidaw.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s son Kim Aris demands ‘proof of life’
Aung San Suu Kyi’s son Kim Aris demanded Min Aung Hlaing’s regime in Naypyidaw provide proof that his mother is alive and allow independent verification about her health and where she’s being held. He added that Aung San Suu Kyi has been cut off from the world, being unable to contact her family since being detained during the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021.
“I just want some proof that she’s alive more than anything else,” Aris told DVB in an interview on Monday, welcoming the release of Win Myint and 292 other political prisoners in an amnesty on April 17. He added that the amnesty granted to 4,514 prisoners is an attempt by the regime to ease international pressure and gain legitimacy without substantive political change.
Aung San Suu Kyi is serving a 27-year prison sentence after being convicted on charges viewed as politically motivated, including incitement, corruption, election fraud, and violations of the state secrets law. Her lawyer told Reuters that the regime reduced her sentence by one-sixth, which means by four-and-a-half years, on April 17. Read more
A Bangladesh Navy vessel in the Bay of Bengal, carrying Rohingya refugees to the Bhasan Char island in Noakhali district, on December 29, 2020. (Credit: Reuters)
Record number of Rohingya refugees died at sea last year, UN says
Nearly 900 Rohingya refugees were reported missing or dead in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal in 2025, making it the deadliest year on record for the route, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stated on Friday. The dangerous sea crossings have continued into 2026, with more than 2,800 Rohingya embarking on such journeys up until April 13.
“No one would put their family on a risky boat, knowing that the chances of survival are really low, if the sense of desperation is not there,” said Babar Baloch, the UNHCR spokesperson. More than one in seven of the estimated 6,500 Rohingya who attempted the sea crossing last year were reported missing or dead, the highest mortality rate worldwide for refugee and migrant sea journeys.
In recent years, more than half of those attempting the crossings have been women and children, according to UNHCR. Their departures are driven by violence at home in Burma and desperate conditions in crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh. The Rohingya refugees hope to reach safety and opportunity in countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia or Thailand. Read more
News by Region
BAGO—A former political prisoner at Pyay Prison told DVB on the condition of anonymity that a lawyer named Phyo Wai Wai Myint, who is serving a 10-year sentence at the same prison after being convicted under Section 50(j) of Counter-Terrorism Law in 2022, is unable to receive medical treatment.
The source added that Phyo Wai Wai Myint told him that the prison hospital would not provide care for tumors she found on her body. Phyo Wai Wai Myint had previously defended many political prisoners. The AAPP has documented that at least 74 political prisoners have died due to a lack of medical care.
SAGAING—One civilian was killed and two were critically injured by airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force in Wetlet Township on Sunday. Wetlet, located 50 miles (80 km) east of the region’s capital Monywa, is partially controlled by the National Unity Government (NUG).
At least two homes were destroyed in four villages, according to resistance forces. Three Buddhist monks and four civilians were killed by airstrikes in Shwebo Township April 3-16. Shwebo is located 30 miles (49 km) northwest of Wetlet and 57 miles (91 km) northeast of Monywa.
SHAN—The Ta’ang Civil Society Network, which represents six Ta’ang civil society organizations, denounced the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and its political wing, the Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF), for sending a congratulatory message to Min Aung Hlaing for usurping Burma’s presidency.
The Ta’ang Civil Society Network statement on April 16 says that the message “doesn’t reflect” ethnic Ta’ang people’s resistance to the 2021 military coup. The TNLA signed a China-brokered ceasefire with the military last year and handed back two towns it had seized during an offensive.
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Read our latest DVB English News op-ed: Myanmar’s political prisoners are not bargaining chips.
