Update: 10 April, 2021
Protests continue to take place around the country, with Myanmar’s junta refusing to let a UN envoy visit on Friday after she arrived in Bangkok in hopes of kick-starting diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis in the country.
The Thingyan holiday (Myanmar New Year) takes place from 10-19 April during which time all businesses will be closed, including banks. Internet access is currently available by fibre line only, however during the New Year period, internet access may be shut down completely.
The Destination Asia Myanmar team members remain safe and are taking precautions.
Please refer to our Myanmar news page for updates as they unfold.
Update: 24 March, 2021
Protesters have called for a ‘silent strike’ with businesses and shops set to close and people to stay in their homes, with the aim of shutting down entire towns and cities.
Ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been in detention since the coup took place on 1 February and is due to appear for another court hearing via video conferencing on Wednesday after a previous hearing had to be adjourned due to Internet problems.
The Destination Asia Myanmar team are safe and continue to work from home. We will continue to add updates accordingly to our Myanmar news page.
Update: 17 March, 2021
Mass protests continue to take place across Myanmar as they have done since the military seized control on 1 February. Protesters, consisting of teachers, lawyers, students, public sector workers, and many of the general public continue to take to the streets both day and night, defying the imposed restrictions.
Internet access is shut down between 1 am and 9 am and is unreliable during the day, while airports remain closed.
Despite slow internet connections, the Destination Asia Myanmar team continue to work from home. They remain safe and in good spirits.
Please refer to our Myanmar news page for updates and more.
Update: 4 March, 2021
Isolated outbreaks continue to take place in multiple towns and cities across the country as peaceful anti-coup protesters take to the streets daily in defiance of the military junta. Wearing just goggles, hard hats and homemade shields for protection, protesters are demanding that the military restore democracy and for their elected leaders to be released.
Movement around the cities have been disrupted with major roads blocked off and the internet remains shut between 1 am and 9 am until further notice.
Despite slow internet connections, the Destination Asia Myanmar team continue to work from home. They remain safe and in good spirits.
Please refer to our Myanmar news page for updates as they unfold.
Update: 19 February, 2021
Anti-coup protesters continue to take to the streets en masse, in defiance of the military generals who have deployed troops in major cities. Protests and civil disobedience movements (CDM) against the military coup have been the biggest in decades, with the number of protesters who marched through the streets on Wednesday being the largest seen in Yangon since the military coup took place over two weeks ago.
Images from Yangon showed peaceful protesters marching and carrying banners reading “Release our leader” and “Join CDM”. Others blocked roads and bridges with cars, leaving their engine hoods up as if they had broken down. Soldiers from the Myanmar military’s light infantry divisions (LIDs) have been seen in the city in the past week. So far clashes between security forces and protesters have been isolated skirmishes.
From 16 February, the internet has been cut off between 1 am and 9 am and will continue to be shut down during this time frame until further notice. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram remain shut down and only accessible through the use of a VPN. A group called Myanmar Hackers disrupted multiple government websites on Thursday, saying internet connectivity had dropped to just 21 percent of ordinary levels.
Update: 15 February, 2021
Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets across Myanmar for a ninth day of anti-coup demonstrations on Sunday, 14 February, as the new army rulers grappled to contain a strike by government workers.
A civil disobedience movement (CDM) to protest against the coup now affects a swathe of government departments with the number of civil servants participating on the rise. Banking services and other government functions, including government hospitals, have ceased operations while trains in parts of the country stopped running after staff refused to go to work.
Internet access remains unstable, while Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have been shut down and can only be accessed through the use of a VPN. The military deployed soldiers to power plants on Sunday only to be confronted by angry crowds. Several power departments in Yangon said that they would refuse to cut the power and expressed support for the protesters.
Also late on Saturday, the army reinstated a law requiring people to report overnight visitors to their homes, allowed security forces to detain suspects and search private property without court approval, and ordered the arrest of well-known backers of mass protests.
The Destination Asia Myanmar team are safe and currently working from home. We will continue to add updates accordingly to our Myanmar news page.
Update: 2 February, 2021
Myanmar’s military seized power in the early morning of February 1st after detaining Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint, and other elected leaders. Following the issue of a state of emergency, internet and phone lines were temporarily shut down and might be disrupted over the coming days.
Military can be seen patrolling the streets and a night-time curfew is now in force, with a one-year state of emergency declared. While domestic airports had been operating in Myanmar, they are now closed along with international ones until further notice.
We are pleased to inform you that our team in Myanmar is safe and continue to work from home. No clients are currently in-country due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Should you have any issues contacting your usual agent in Myanmar, our sales offices are operating as usual with contact details available here.
For updates as they unfold, please refer to our Myanmar news page.
