The Latest Breaking News from Shan State

Border mining poisoning rivers

As Myanmar's military junta leader Min Aung Hlaing arrives in Thailand this week, much of the media attention will focus on diplomacy and trade, without raising critical questions. Nevertheless, one crisis directly affecting the health and security of people across both nations requires immediate attention: transboundary river contamination from mining…

Bangkok Post · Aug 5

Thailand seeks extradition of ‘Rose Rose’ in flight attendant heroin case

Thailand is seeking the extradition of a woman accused of hiring a Thai flight attendant to carry heroin-filled bags to Australia, as authorities intensify efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking network linked to a notorious drug kingpin in Myanmar’s Shan State.

Bangkok Post · Jul 23

The mining challenge

Since 2024, villagers in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai living along the Kok, Sai, Ruak and Mekong rivers have suffered water pollution caused by runoff from gold and earth mines in Shan State, northern Myanmar.

Bangkok Post · Jul 7

‘We do this to survive’: Harvesting opium poppies in Myanmar’s Shan State

Poppy cultivation and methamphetamine production has surged in Myanmar amid the country’s grinding civil war.

Al Jazeera · Jun 7, 2025

Reporting from behind shifting front lines in Myanmar’s civil war

Journalists with the Shan State-based news outlet Shwe Phee Myay continue to report amid civil war and repression.

Al Jazeera · May 10, 2025

Myanmar Armed Group Says 11 Civilians Killed In Junta Air Strikes

Myanmar military air strikes in northern Shan state killed 11 civilians and wounded 11 more, a spokeswoman for an ethnic minority armed group battling the junta told AFP on Friday.

International Business Times · Sep 6, 2024

China steps up armed patrols on border as Myanmar conflict deepens

China has reported artillery shells injuring residents in its territory amid fighting over the border in Shan State.

Al Jazeera · Aug 26, 2024

Myanmar Military Says It Withdrew 'For Safety Of People'

Myanmar's military withdrew from some positions close to China's border to prioritise the "safety of people", the junta chief said, days after an alliance of ethnic armed groups said they had routed state troops in the area.

International Business Times · Aug 6, 2024

Myanmar’s junta has suffered a humiliating military defeat. Could it be a turning point in the war?

My recent research trip to the Thai town of Mae Sot on the Myanmar border coincided with two big events. The heavens opened for several days with the first big rains of the monsoon season. And across the border, the Myanmar opposition forces took control of Lashio, a major military…

The Conversation · Aug 6, 2024

‘Potential for new Myanmar’ as anti-coup forces push new northern offensive

Fighting is escalating in an area stretching from Mandalay to Lashio, where the military has its northeastern command.

Al Jazeera · Aug 1, 2024