Myanmar Drug Crackdown: Myanmar destroyed seized narcotics and precursor chemicals worth over Ks2.2 trillion in coordinated operations, with authorities saying the figure more than doubled from previous years and that Operation 42 will run through December to hit production and trafficking. Alternative Crops Push: Myanmar also urged opium poppy farmers to switch to coffee and tea cultivation as part of “alternative development,” while officials warned narcotics production and trafficking remain major threats to national security. Peace Talks Invitation: President U Min Aung Hlaing reiterated the government’s invitation to ethnic armed organizations to join peace talks without preconditions, saying genuine willingness is the key to ending conflict and enabling development. Border Security & Cash Seizure: A Myanmar national was arrested in Thailand after allegedly trying to smuggle about 23 million baht across the Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge hidden in cartons of dried fish and potatoes. Regional Drug Warning: India’s Narcotics Control Bureau flagged Myanmar as the world’s leading illicit opium source, warning of a trafficking corridor into India’s northeast linked to arms and terror financing. Scam-Hub Human Trafficking: Rights groups say thousands remain trapped in Myanmar scam compounds near the Thai border despite crackdowns, with victims from multiple countries forced into scams. Assam Militant Plot Foiled: Assam police arrested two ULFA(I) cadres in Tinsukia, saying they planned indiscriminate firing and grenade attacks on civilians.