The Burmese government’s decision to forgo the Asean chairmanship in 2006 means millions of US dollars invested in developing and beautifying Rangoon may go to waste.
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July 25: Karen Internally Displaced Persons wonder when they will be able to go home
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Yangon: Thai state-energy firm PTT Exploration and Production International has signed a deal with Myanmar to explore for oil and gas in an offshore site, state-run media said.
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Yangon: Traders of Myanmar and China are striving to reach a targeted bilateral trade volume of 1.5bn US dollars in the coming years set by the two countries, a local news journal reported Tuesday [26 July].
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Vientiane: China’s foreign minister cut short a visit to Laos on Wednesday, skipping a regional security forum to travel on to Myanmar.
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Vientiane: Friends and critics of military-ruled Myanmar on Wednesday welcomed its decision to skip the chairmanship of Southeast Asia’s bloc next year but warned it must get serious about establishing democracy and free Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
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Burma has appointed a new ambassador to Thailand, the official New Light of Myanmar reported on Wednesday. The Burmese Embassy in Bangkok said they expected the new ambassador, Ye Win, to arrive in August. His predecessor, Myo Myint, has already returned to Rangoon, the embassy added.
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The UN Security Council on Tuesday voted for a series of measures to protect children involved in armed conflict, including those conscripted by the Karen National Liberation Army (the military wing of the Karen National Union) and Burma’s military, it said in a statement.
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The pariah state relinquishing next year’s Asean chair is only a start – it must do much more to reform itself. Burma has made a shrewd and calculated move to win over Asean by announcing its willingness to skip playing host to the group’s annual meeting next year.
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Robert Zoellick, the new deputy US secretary of state, has the most difficult assignment of his short tenure in Laos this week.
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July 25: Burma’s narrow-minded generals are a barrier to Asian development
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Asean-based activists have called for the regional body to ensure that the deferral of Burma’s chairmanship becomes a catalyst for genuine reforms.
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