Malaysia as the Asean chair next year should take the lead in condemning not only the genocide in Gaza but also the one in Myanmar.

Groups have filed a complaint with Indonesia's national human rights commission alleging that three state-owned arms makers had been selling equipment to Myanmar since the coup.

Asean has faced criticism for its failure to get Myanmar's ruling military to make progress on a five-point peace consensus agreed to shortly after it seized power in a 2021 coup.

Asean has agreed on a peace plan, known as its five-point consensus, that calls for an end to violence and dialogue among all parties but the generals have paid little more than lip service to it.

Myanmar is the world's fifth-largest rice exporter, selling more than 2 million metric tons a year, reports say.

H&M says it is investigating 20 alleged instances of labour abuse, as a UK-based NGO says cases of alleged abuses including wage theft and forced overtime have multiplied since the coup.

This comes weeks after top rival Zara owner Inditex said it is phasing out purchases from the Southeast Asian country.

Volunteers say eight people were rescued from the boat, which was headed for Malaysia, a coveted destination for thousands of Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution and poverty in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

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

The pardons would mean a reduction in her jail term of six years.

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

The daughter of Myanmar's independence hero was first put under house arrest in 1989 after huge protests against decades of military rule.