May 1
On International Workers’ Day, the Union Parliament Representative Committee (CRPH) announced it will collaborate with relevant ministries and organizations—including the National Unity Government and Ministry of Labor—to take action against the military council in line with Article 33 of the International Labor Organization (ILO). These actions are set to coincide with the 113th International Labor Conference (ILC), to be held in Geneva from June 2 to 13, 2025.
Source: DVB
The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it has delivered emergency relief supplies to monastic schools affected by the earthquake.
Source: DVB
Malaysia, as the current ASEAN chair, has called for the ceasefire in Myanmar to be extended and broadened to ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access in areas hit by the earthquake.
Source: DVB
May 2
The National Unity Government’s Ministry of Justice announced that it has opened 31 township-level courts and one intermediate appeals court as of May 2. The ministry began establishing courts in May 2022 and now has 111 judges conducting civil legal proceedings in 29 townships across Myanmar.
Source: DVB
The Special Advisory Council on Myanmar (SAC-M) has called on the Bangladeshi government to take accountability for the participation of coup leader Min Aung Hlaing in the 6th BIMSTEC summit.
Source: DVB
May 4
The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) stated during a press conference that it will not return the towns of Thibaw, Naung Cho, Kyaukme, Mogok, and Moeik to the military council, despite pressure. These towns, located along the Mandalay–Lashio trade route, are considered strategically significant as entry points into central Myanmar.
Source: Myanmar Now
May 5
The United States has announced sanctions against the Karen National Army (KNA), the regime-aligned Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), and its leader Colonel Saw Chit Chit, along with his sons Saw Htoo Aye Hwe and Saw Chit Chit.
Source: Myanmar Now
The National Unity Government reported it received approximately 500 million kyats and 17 pisas of pure gold in 2024 from forestry, environment, mineral, and gemstone-related sectors.
Source: DVB
Following its recapture of Lashio with assistance from China, the military council is working to restore normal operations in the city. Lashio General Hospital has reopened, and efforts are underway to revive administrative, health, and education services.
Source: Myanmar Now
May 6
Bangladeshi media reported that the Myanmar military council has dismissed Bangladesh’s objections to its contact with the Arakan Army (AA). Bangladesh’s National Security Advisor Khalilur Rahman stated that the government would engage with any group necessary to protect its national interests.
Source: DVB
May 7
Just hours after the military council extended its post-earthquake temporary ceasefire, an airstrike was launched on a village in Kawlin Township, Sagaing Region. No casualties were reported, according to local sources.
Source: Myanmar Now
The World Bank estimated the damage from the March 28 earthquake in Mandalay and Sagaing at over $11 billion.
Source: Myanmar Now
May 8
As allied forces of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) were evacuating civilians from a monastery in Bhamo, Kachin State, the military dropped two bombs, killing about 15 displaced people and injuring at least 30.
Source: Myanmar Now
May 9
In Moscow, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Min Aung Hlaing met in Russia during celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. The junta leader requested earthquake recovery support, and President Xi pledged Chinese assistance.
Source: DVB
The Karen National Liberation Army (KNU/KNLA) and its allied forces captured Htee Khee, a major Thai-Myanmar border station of the regime.
Source: DVB
May 10
The Karen National Union (KNU) Myeik-Dawei District released a statement raising concerns about the safety of communities in Myanmar and Thailand regarding the planned construction of a nuclear power plant in the Dawei Special Economic Zone.
Source: DVB
May 12
At least 22 people, including schoolchildren, were killed and over 50 injured when the Myanmar military’s air force bombed a rural school in Otindwin Village, Depayin Township, Sagaing Region. Two bombs were dropped directly on the school, located about 5 miles south of the city. Around 10 of the injured are reportedly in critical condition.
Source: Myanmar Now
May 14
Human rights group Fortify Rights urged Malaysia, as ASEAN’s rotating chair, to impose sanctions on countries supplying jet fuel to the Myanmar military, citing the ongoing bombing of civilians.
Source: DVB
Japanese and Burmese civil society organizations jointly called for transparency and adherence to human rights standards from Japanese companies preparing to withdraw from the Thilawa Multipurpose International Port project in Thanlyin Township, Yangon.
Source: Myanmar Now
May 15
The Shan Human Rights Foundation reported that the United Wa State Army (UWSA) is carrying out extensive rare earth mining operations in Mong Yoon, eastern Shan State, near the Thai border.
Source: Myanmar Now
The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that workers in the area affected by the March 28 Sagaing earthquake are collectively losing $36.8 million in daily income, impacting around 3.5 million people.
Source: DVB
May 16
The military council’s Union Election Commission announced that a date has been set for the next general election, though no specifics have yet been disclosed publicly.
Source: BBC Burmese
The Arakan Army (AA) released 225 families of prisoners of war captured during the battle for Minbya in Rakhine State, according to sources close to the group.
Source: DVB
May 18
At the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, prayers were offered for the people of Gaza, Myanmar, and for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Source: DVB
May 19
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto met with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra in Bangkok during a goodwill visit. Their discussions included strengthening bilateral cooperation and addressing the Myanmar crisis.
Source: DVB
May 20
During a military council meeting, Min Aung Hlaing claimed that if the Myitsone Dam project had not been halted due to public opposition, Myanmar would now have significantly more electricity.
Source: DVB
Workers at the Tsang Yih factory in Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone, Yangon where Adidas shoes are produced successfully demanded a wage increase, raising their daily pay to 12,000 kyats after organizing protests.
Source: Myanmar Now
The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) confirmed that 18 bodies were recovered from a military helicopter crash that occurred on May 20. The helicopters were transporting reinforcements and supplies to Bhamo, Kachin State.
Source: Myanmar Now
May 21
The National Unity Government (NUG) urged the Indian government to investigate the alleged abduction and torture of 10 members of the Tamu District People’s Defence Force (PDF) by India’s Assam Rifles. The bodies of the PDF fighters were returned on May 16 after they had gone missing two days earlier.
Source: Myanmar Now
May 22
The Arakan Army (AA) announced a ban on young people leaving Rakhine State under its conscription law. Men aged 18 to 45 and women aged 18 to 25 are required to serve two years under the National Defense Emergency Provision (NDEP) introduced on March 18.
Source: Myanmar Now
Major General Cho Htun Aung, a former ambassador for the military council and current lecturer at the National Defence College (NDC), was shot dead at close range by an urban guerrilla group known as the Golden Valley Warriors.
Source: Myanmar Now
May 23
Min Aung Hlaing stated that the military must serve as a guarantor for both peace and stability, as well as for the successful holding of the election. He made the remarks during a meeting with officers, soldiers, and their families at the Triangle Regional Military Command in Kengtung.
Source: DVB
May 26
The military-controlled New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that the military council and Russia signed an agreement during a meeting at the Russian Supreme Court in Moscow on May 23. The agreement aims to shield Myanmar’s military from international prosecution.
Source: Myanmar Now
The 46th ASEAN Summit opened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. While military leader Min Aung Hlaing was not allowed to attend, U Aung Kyaw Moe, the Permanent Secretary of the Military Council’s Department of Foreign Affairs, participated in the meeting alongside regional leaders and the ASEAN Secretary-General.
Source: DVB
Justice For Myanmar reported that 54 companies from ASEAN nations—Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia—maintain business ties with Myanmar’s military and military-owned enterprises, thereby contributing to the regime’s ongoing atrocities.
Source: DVB
May 27
At the conclusion of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, regional leaders issued a separate statement on Myanmar, calling for an immediate end to violence and for the protection of all civilians.
Source: DVB
May 28
Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, addressed recent speculation by stating there is no diplomatic rift with Myanmar’s military council, despite the earlier withdrawal of Bangladesh’s ambassador. He dismissed social media rumors, emphasizing that relations remain intact.
Source: Myanmar Now
Colonel Ta Pan La of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) reported that China continues to push for negotiations with the military council while restricting trade through TNLA-controlled areas. Although China reopened border gates after the MNDAA withdrew from Lashio in April, it has blocked trade routes in areas under TNLA control.
Source: Myanmar Now
May 29
The UWSA (Wa), NDAA (Mong La), and affiliated cronies have reportedly contributed funds for the reconstruction of military council housing in Nay Pyi Taw damaged by the March earthquake. Military council leaders, including Min Aung Hlaing, accepted the donations at a ceremony in the capital.
Source: Myanmar Now
The military council and Thailand’s Gulf Petroleum Myanmar will jointly explore an offshore oil and gas field off the coast of Mottama. The block, previously explored and returned by a Chinese state-owned company due to insufficient findings, will now be developed under the “Min Ye Thu” project.
Source: Myanmar Now
May 30
Min Aung Hlaing announced that the military council will provide 700 billion kyats in loans for reconstruction in earthquake-affected regions.
Source: DVB
The Malaysian National News Agency reported that more than 1,400 people—including over 1,200 Myanmar nationals—were arrested during a major immigration crackdown in Kuala Lumpur.
Source: DVB
