South Asia in May 2026: the most important developments in security
South Asia's security news in May 2026 ended with a massive explosion at an ammunition depot in a rebel-held area of Myanmar on 31 May, which killed at least 46 people and injured around 70, with children among the victims. Earlier in the month Myanmar's military stepped up its offensive to take control of a rare earth mining area and key border routes, and on 20 May it claimed to have recaptured a town on the Thai border.
Tension between Thailand and Cambodia continued. Cambodia extended its conscription term after clashes with Thailand, the Thai army reported two Cambodian border provocations near Chong Chom, and on 22 May the Thai navy chief said forces were ready as Cambodia moved troops near Trat. The Thai army said Cambodian shots near Surin violated a ceasefire understanding.
In the Philippines, gunfire erupted in the Senate on 13 May as an International Criminal Court arrest warrant was to be served on a senator who resisted. On 21 May the Philippines ordered the arrest of the fugitive senator.
In the Maldives, a military diver died during the rescue effort for four Italians trapped in an underwater cave, and the search was suspended on 16 May. Finnish divers arrived, and the bodies of the four Italians were located on 18 May.
Elsewhere, an assistant protocol officer was found dead inside the Indian mission in Chattogram, Bangladesh. Sri Lanka arrested more than 260 foreigners over cyberscams and later held over 1,000 people in connection with scam operations, and Cambodia sentenced six Chinese nationals to life in prison over a scam-linked kidnapping and killing of a Korean student. In Bangkok, a train-bus collision killed eight people and the train driver was charged. China said it drove away a Dutch warship near the Paracel Islands and patrolled Scarborough Shoal.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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