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Read RFA coverage of this topic in Burmese. Myanmar’s junta chief said the military would increase the defense budget, while seeking to expand his international presence with a reported plan to join a regional summit in Thailand next month. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing announced on Monday that the junta would increase the budget for its defense ministry to “enhance the strength and capacity of defense forces” as well as to “maintain peace and stability.” He did not provide specific figures. Since the 2021 coup, the junta has tripled its defense budget from 1.746 trillion kyats to 5.635 trillion kyats (US$2.68 billion) by 2023, according to media reports, accounting for about a quarter of the government’s total spending. The military has also invested over US$1 billion in weapons, primarily from Russia, China, Singapore, India and Thailand. Despite bolstering its capabilities, the junta faces intense international criticism for human rights violations, including indiscriminate attacks and mass detentions, leading to accusations of war crimes and increasing global isolation. Min Aung Hlaing has been also sanctioned by multiple countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union’s 27 member states. These sanctions include asset freezes, travel bans, and prohibitions on transactions, aimed at holding him accountable for human rights violations and the military’s seizure of power. However, Min Aung Hlaing appears to be attempting to reshape his international standing, as media reports indicate that he plans to participate in a regional summit in Bangkok next week – marking his first visit to Thailand. According to Thai media outlet ThaiPBS on Monday, Min Aung Hlaing is scheduled to visit Bangkok from April 3 to 4 to attend the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, or BIMSTEC, summit. The summit is expected to be attended by heads of state from member countries, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BIMSTEC is a regional cooperation organization established in 1997, comprising seven countries bordering the Bay of Bengal: India, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan. Min Aung Hlaing also recently visited Russia and Belarus, where he held meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Separately, he attended the Mekong River Basin Summit held in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China, in November – marking his first visit to China since the coup. RELATED STORIES Myanmar’s junta launches offensives on rebel strongholds in Mandalay region Junta offensives leave 4 dead, thousands displaced in northwest Myanmar Junta airstrike hits a clinic in central Myanmar, killing 11, including children Assaults in northern Myanmar As the junta leader looks abroad for support for his unelected government and approval for elections he plans to hold by January, his military’s attacks on pro-democracy forces and ethnic armies fighting for autonomy continue in an indiscriminate and brutal fashion. A resident from Mandalay’s Natogyi township said that junta forces bombed two villages around 1 a.m. on Sunday morning, injuring two women and six men, including a 13-year-old child. Insurgent groups, which retain control over much of the township, have seen a resurgence in junta offensives, following a series of failed ceasefires between the junta and rebel militias in the country’s north. “They were all just civilians, Although most were people avoiding conflict, there were those who couldn’t avoid it and were stuck in Let Wea and Myinni villages,” said the resident, who declined to be named over security concerns. “When the bomb fell, they ran but they didn’t get away.” Airstrikes on Myinni and Let Wea villages in Natogyi township in Mandalay region burned down more than 10 houses on March 23, 2025.(Natogyi Journal) A 65-year-old man was severely injured, and over 10 houses were destroyed by the blast, he added. Most residents from the two villages were sheltering in nearby mountains, but about a third had chosen to remain in their homes, residents said. Junta spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Htun has declined to comment. According to data compiled by RFA, 3,554 people have been killed by junta-led attacks since the coup began in February 2021, and another 7,064 have been injured. Translated by Kiana Duncan. Edited by Taejun Kang and Mike Firn. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

The federal grants that fund Radio Free Asia and partner networks were terminated Saturday morning, according to a grant termination notice received by RFA. An executive order issued by U.S. President Donald Trump late Friday calls for the reduction of non-statutory components of the United States Agency for Global Media, or USAGM, the federal agency that funds RFA and several other independent global news organizations. The U.S. Congress appropriates funds to USAGM, which disburses the monies to the grantee news outlets. The brief order calls for the elimination “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law” of USAGM and six other unrelated government entities that work on museums, homelessness, minority business development and more. While the order addresses “non-statutory components” of USAGM, RFA is statutorily established, meaning it was congressionally established by a statute in the International Broadcasting Act . But a letter sent to the president of RFA Saturday and signed by USAGM special adviser Kari Lake, whose title is listed as “Senior Advisor to the Acting CEO with Authorities Delegated by Acting CEO,” notes that the agency’s federal grant has been terminated and that RFA is obliged to “promptly refund any unobligated funds.” It says that an appeal can be made within 30 days. It was not immediately clear how and when operations would cease, but RFA is solely funded through federal grants. In a statement issued Saturday, RFA President Bay Fang said the outlet planned to challenge the order. “The termination of RFA’s grant is a reward to dictators and despots, including the Chinese Communist Party, who would like nothing better than to have their influence go unchecked in the information space,” the statement says. “Today’s notice not only disenfranchises the nearly 60 million people who turn to RFA’s reporting on a weekly basis to learn the truth, but it also benefits America’s adversaries at our own expense.” An editorially independent news outlet funded through an act of Congress, RFA began its first Mandarin language broadcasts in 1996, expanding in subsequent years to a total of nine language services: Cantonese, Uyghur, Tibetan, Korean, Khmer, Vietnamese, Burmese and Lao. RFA news programming is disseminated through radio, television, social media and the web in countries that have little to no free press, often providing the only source of uncensored, non-propaganda news. Because RFA covers closed-off countries and regions like North Korea, Tibet and Xinjiang, its English-language translations remain the primary source of information from many of these areas. Its parent agency, USAGM, oversees broadcasters that work in more than 60 languages and reach an audience of hundreds of millions. These include Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which reported Saturday that its grants had also been terminated. Voice of America and the Office for Cuba Broadcasting, which are directly run by USAGM, put all staff on paid administrative leave Saturday. In a post on Facebook, VOA Director Michael Abramowitz wrote: “I learned this morning that virtually the entire staff of Voice of America—more than 1300 journalists, producers and support staff—has been placed on administrative leave today. So have I.” Committee to Protect Journalists Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna urged Congress to restore funding to USAGM, “which provides uncensored news in countries where the press is restricted.” “It is outrageous that the White House is seeking to gut the Congress-funded agency supporting independent journalism that challenges narratives of authoritarian regimes around the world,” he said in a statement. China watchers cautioned that cuts to RFA in particular could impact Washington’s ability to counter Beijing. “Radio Free Asia plays a vital role in countering China’s influence by providing accurate and uncensored news to audiences facing relentless propaganda from the People’s Republic of China,” Rep. Ami Bera, a California Democrat, wrote in a post on X. “RFA helps advance American values amidst our ongoing Great Power Competition with China and exposes egregious human rights abuses like the Uyghur genocide and Beijing’s covert activities abroad.” Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul called the dismantling of RFA and its sister publications “giant gifts to China,” while Human Rights Watch’s Maya Wang posted that in places like Xinjiang and Tibet: “Radio Free Asia has been one of the few which can get info out. Its demise would mean that these places will become info black holes, just as the CCP wants them.” In a statement issued by USAGM Saturday evening and posted to X by Lake, the agency deemed itself “not salvageable” due to a range of alleged findings of security violations and self-dealing, though few details were provided. “From top-to-bottom this agency is a giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer — a national security risk for this nation — and irretrievably broken. While there are bright spots within the agency with personnel who are talented and dedicated public servants, this is the exception rather than the rule,” the statement read. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika