February 24: Frustrated by Burma’s procrastination over his repeated requests to enter the country, UN Special Envoy Razali Ismail on Tuesday accused the Rangoon junta of ignoring his efforts to bring about national reconciliation with the opposition led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
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A delegation from the International Labor Organization, long a critic of Myanmar for its inaction against forced labor, arrived here Monday to determine if the country’s military rulers have taken steps to curb the practice.
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February 21: Bangkok: Hundreds of military intelligence officers who served under deposed Myanmese prime minister General Khin Nyunt are expected to be handed stiff jail terms for corruption this week, sending fresh shockwaves through the ruling armed forces.
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February 21: Yangon: Myanmar recorded more than 656,000 foreign visitors last year, a rise of about 10 percent from 2003, a report said Monday citing official figures.
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February 21: President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo expressed concern over detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s condition during talks Monday with Burma’s visiting premier and hoped democratic reforms would take place “as soon as possible,” officials said.
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February 21: Lawmakers yesterday urged Myanmar Prime Minister Soe Win to voluntarily waive assumption to the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) unless he accedes to the demand of other ASEAN member-states that he liberate his political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi.
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February 21: Manila: Prime Minister Soe Win of military-ruled Myanmar on Monday said a referendum to draft a new constitution included “all strata of the society” despite a boycott by the opposition party.
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February 18: Dhaka: The issue of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh was discussed in a Feb 17 supplementary question section of Bangladesh Parliament, a report of Bangladesh based news agency.
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Phnom Penh: Tourists visiting Cambodia in the next few years may be able to enter China, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar without needing additional visas, local media reported on Tuesday.
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United Nations: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan warned the international community could reject Myanmar’s referendum on a constitution if the main opposition party is not included in the process. Annan has been a vocal critic of decisions by Myanmar’s military rulers, who relaunched a national convention on Thursday aimed at drafting a constitution to be put to vote as part of their “road map” to democracy.
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The U.N. special envoy to Myanmar on Tuesday accused that country’s junta of ignoring his efforts to bring about national reconciliation with the opposition led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
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Total Oil, the French oil giant, is fuelling the brutal military regime in Burma with millions of pounds and has benefited from forced labour and human rights abuses, according to a report published today.
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February 21: Paris: Some 40 organizations launched an international campaign aimed at pressuring the French oil giant Total to pull out of Myanmar, where they said the company’s activities support a military dictatorship, a French activist collective announced.
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February 18: New York: The Secretary-General notes that on 17 February, Myanmar reconvened its National Convention to continue drafting the principles on which a new constitution will be based. Regrettably, contrary to his earlier suggestions, this happened without the participation of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and other political parties.

The Secretary-General is also concerned about the recent detention of several Shan leaders, including the President of the Shan State Peace Council (SSPC) and the Chairman of the Shan National League for Democracy (SNLD).

While accepting that Myanmar faces complex and difficult challenges in its transition to democracy and its quest for national reconciliation, the Secretary-General believes that for a genuine process of national reconciliation to take root, the views of the NLD and other political parties, as well as the representatives of all the ethnic nationality ceasefire groups, must be sought and considered.

It remains the Secretary-General’s view that the National Convention, in its present format, does not adhere to the recommendations made by successive resolutions of the General Assembly. He thus reiterates his call on the Myanmar authorities, even at this late stage, to take the necessary steps to make the roadmap process more inclusive and credible.

The Secretary-General also encourages the authorities to ensure that the next phases of the roadmap – the drafting of the constitution and the holding of a national referendum – are transparent and inclusive. It is his considered view that unless this poll adheres to internationally accepted standards of conduct and participation, it may be difficult for the international community, including the countries of the region, to endorse the result.

The Secretary-General, once again, appeals to the Myanmar authorities to resume without delay a substantive political dialogue with the representatives of all ethnic nationality groups and political leaders, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, to help achieve a genuine process of national reconciliation. He reiterates the need for the remaining constraints on all political leaders to be lifted, NLD offices to be allowed to reopen and for political prisoners, including elected officials, to be released. He also renews his readiness to facilitate national reconciliation efforts among all parties concerned and to that end, urges the authorities to agree to a visit of his Special Envoy.