At least nine more people have been killed and hundreds of monks abducted as Burma’s military regime attempts to stamp out a defiant demonstration against its abuses.

China, under pressure from the U.S., has urged calm, while a representative of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations said Burma’s neighbors have “expressed their revulsion” in communications to the military junta’s foreign minister.

BBC:

The popular defiance has been led by Buddhist monks but there were fewer of the saffron-robed devotees on the streets on Thursday following overnight raids on monasteries.

Witnesses say soldiers smashed windows and doors and beat sleeping monks. Some escaped but hundreds were taken away in military trucks.

Nonetheless, tens of thousands of people poured onto the streets on Thursday. The military responded with gunshots – witnesses said it was unclear whether the bullets were aimed at the crowd or above heads.

Read more

 Your support is crucial...

As we navigate an uncertain 2025, with a new administration questioning press freedoms, the risks are clear: our ability to report freely is under threat.

Your tax-deductible donation enables us to dig deeper, delivering fearless investigative reporting and analysis that exposes the reality beneath the headlines — without compromise.

Now is the time to take action. Stand with our courageous journalists. Donate today to protect a free press, uphold democracy and uncover the stories that need to be told.

SUPPORT TRUTHDIG