According to the UNODC, poppy cultivation areas have increased by 17% in one year, especially in Shan State. Cannabis cultivation is also on the rise in Sagaing, now the epicentre of the resistance. While some areas are returning to junta control thanks to conscription and drones supplied by Russia and China, instability continues and international criticism of the elections announced by the military continues.

Myanmar's military junta has released more than 3,000 political prisoners and dropped charges against another 5,500 people. Friends and relatives of the prisoners rejoiced yesterday, but it is also a threat to the population, who find themselves forced to vote in order to avoid arrest. This has been confirmed by the military itself: more than 700 prisoners will only be released on parole and risk returning to prison at the first sign of dissent.

The military and the pro-government BGF militia raided the Shwe Kokko complex. According to local sources, however, the BGF moved out its bosses before the raid, and thousands of workers fled after being warned. Washington and Beijing have launched parallel initiatives against the activities that finance this criminal activity, but many analysts remain sceptical; without targeting the networks linking the military, militias, and criminal groups, raids risk being merely window dressing.

The French president calls for Aung San Suu Kyi’s release.  As the poll approaches, the military regime intensifies its propaganda, forcing artists and actors to support the election. The Ta'ang National Liberation Army recently signed a ceasefire brokered by China that allows the junta to take control of part of the Mandalay region. In Mogok, residents renew their protests.

A boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi citizens capsized off the coast of Langkawi in one of the worst accidents ever recorded. Malaysian authorities have reported seven victims and only 13 survivors so far. This year alone, the UNHCR has reported over 600 deaths or missing persons along the Gulf of Bengal routes.

A few weeks before Myanmar’s ruling military junta holds forced elections in a country still at war, Catholic bishops issued a message to their people, brought to their knees by an overwhelming crisis caused by war, earthquake, and economic collapse. For the bishops, “three million [displaced] people are not just numbers;” instead, “peace is the only way”. Above all, “Let us not let hatred define us. Let us not let despair conquer us.”