Kim Aris, who is a British national, likens the move to a propaganda exercise.

The state of emergency has been extended by another six months.

Head-high piles of heroin, cannabis, meth and opium were burned in commercial hub Yangon, reports say, in an annual spectacle to mark International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan says that conditions are not yet right.

It is the first publicly reported visit by a military official from China, a major ally and arms supplier of the junta, since the coup.

Countries named include Russia, China, Singapore, and India.

Those who re-offend will have to serve the remainder of their sentence with an additional penalty.

Thailand's election, on May 14, is shaping up as a contest between pro-military conservatives and the populist opposition led by Pheu Thai Party and its ally the Move Forward Party.

The military-led government has jailed thousands of opponents and pro-democracy activists since it seized power in 2021 and brutally put down protests, drawing global condemnation.

The death toll from the early morning strike on the remote Kanbalu township in Sagaing region is unclear although at least 50 fatalities have been reported.

The clashes broke out when rebels in the southern Karen state attacked a military border guard outpost, according to reports.

The hugely popular Nobel laureate Suu Kyi is among scores of members jailed since the coup and is serving 33 years for multiple counts of corruption, a breach of a state secrets law and incitement, among other crimes.