Myanmar coup d'état

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Swedish clothing giant H&M has said it would begin closing its operations in Myanmar, after reports of abuse against garment workers in the wake of the 2021 military takeover.

"After careful consideration we have now taken the decision to gradually phase out our operations in Myanmar," H&M said in an email to AFP.

China's top diplomat on Saturday arrived on his first visit to Myanmar since the military seized power last year to attend a regional meeting that the government said was a recognition of its legitimacy and opponents protested as a violation of peace efforts.

A nationwide strike marked the one-year anniversary Tuesday of the army's seizure of power in Myanmar, as protests and sporadic violence across the country renewed concern over the ongoing struggle for power.

Southeast Asian foreign ministers have agreed to downgrade Myanmar's participation in an upcoming summit in their sharpest rebuke yet of its leaders following a Feb. 1 military takeover.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations will invite a non-political representative instead of Myanmar's military leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the grouping's chair Brunei said on Oct. 16.

The U.N. General Assembly on June 18 took the rare step of calling on member states to "prevent the flow of arms" into Myanmar, part of a non-binding resolution condemning the military coup in the violence-wracked country.

Myanmar's election last year reflected the will of the people and the army was unjustified in using alleged flaws as a reason to seize power, an international monitoring group said on May 17 in its final report.

The Feb. 1 coup cut short a decade of tentative democratic reforms and led to the arrest of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party had swept the Nov. 8 election.

Security forces in central Myanmar opened fire on anti-coup protesters on April 3, killing at least two people according to local media. A human rights group said mounting violence since the Feb. 1 military takeover has killed at least 550 civilians.

Defense chiefs from a dozen countries on March 28 jointly condemned the bloodbath in Myanmar a day earlier, when at least 90 people -including several children -were killed after security forces opened fire on anti-coup protesters.

At least 38 people were killed in Myanmar on Wednesday in what the UN described as the "bloodiest day" since the coup took place a month ago.

UN envoy to Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener said there was shocking footage coming out of the country.

Witnesses said security forces opened fire with rubber and live bullets.

Yesterday was the bloodiest day in Myanmar since a military junta seized power there one month ago. According to the United Nations Human Rights Office, at least 18 people were killed and more than 30 wounded after security forces fired live ammunition into crowds of peaceful demonstrators in several cities across the country.