The two ceasefire commanders who had already been reported as departing for Rangoon to serve as witnesses for their imprisoned leader were stopped at the last minute from leaving their base in Hsipaw, Northern Shan State, reported insider sources yesterday.
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July 9: Burmese troops are going to grow rice by themselves on land confiscated from the people in Kyauk Taw Township. Instead of leasing out to the local farmers to cultivate rice during the monsoon season as before, the military personnel have decided to farm the land themselves.
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A senior member of the opposition National League for Democracy and two sympathizers have been jailed on a charge of distributing a video tape of speeches by the party leader Aung San Suu Kyi, according to a NLD spokesman.
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July 12: Mon farmers who live on small islands along the coast will be affected by the construction of the Salween dam, says an environmental activist team after doing research on the outcome of the construction.
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July 8: Indo-Burma trade has been seriously hit by the perennial insurgency problem and the frequent bandhs called by various organizations. Things have come to such a pass that Moreh, which is among the major trade points in the North-east, has been left with very little trade due to the prevailing situation in Manipur.
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July 9: India’s continued courtship of Myanmar seems to be paying off, with Yangon agreeing to consider giving Indian oil firms a role in their hydrocarbon hunt in the northern region without going through international bidding and initiate the process of importing diesel from Assam as a pilot project.
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July 9: Myanmar and China signed $290 million worth of trade deals last week to boost bilateral trade, the state-run newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported Saturday.
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U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday urged Thailand to press the junta in neighboring Myanmar to release political prisoners – including Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi – and move toward greater openness and democracy.
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U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday she will not visit Laos later this month to participate in annual talks with Asia-Pacific foreign ministers because she has to make an ‘essential’ trip elsewhere.
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July 9: One can hardly avoid junk mail these days if you do not have spam protection in your computer. (more…)

July 9: The annual foreign minister’s meeting and the sessions with external partners that occur at the same time give the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations a profile in global affairs that other regional groupings lack.
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Vacancies: News Bureau Chief and Reporter
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