Chit Swe, cartoonist and vice chairman of the opposition National League for Democracy in Thanlyin Township, Rangoon, was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment on Wednesday for organizing an illegal party meeting at his home, according to the NLD headquarters in Rangoon.
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August 2: All public telephone booths in northern Shan State on the Sino-Burma border were closed under orders from the Minister in-charge of the Ministry of Communication Brig. Gen. Thein Zaw.
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Yangon: Myanmar is expanding cooperation with its neighboring countries in fighting drugs by opening more related liaison offices in the border areas with Thailand and India, a local weekly reported in its latest issue.
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Beijing: State-owned CNOOC’s failure to properly assess the political risks it faced in trying to acquire US oil major Unocal is a setback but it will not deter China’s drive for overseas energy assets to feed its voracious economy, analysts said Wednesday.
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Bangkok: As the 10-member Asean regional bloc embarks on a journey to make itself more cohesive, it faces the daunting challenge of finding common ground on democratic values with which politically disparate members can identify.
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Hanoi: Communist Vietnam and pariah state Myanmar (Burma) wish to enhance their already close relationship, Vietnamese officials said Wednesday after an official visit to Yangon (Rangoon).
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July: Thailand’s new refugee rules leave thousands in fear and suspense
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August 2: Prague: International solidarity and open political pressure play a crucial role in the fight for democracy in Burma, former Czech president Vaclav Havel and U.N. envoy for human rights Paulo Sergio Pinheiro agreed in Prague today.
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Burmese democracy activists are so used to defeat that they were stunned by the diplomatic coup d’etat that came in the way of Than Shwe’s dreams of ASEAN Chairmanship. Than Shwe lost face and this diplomatic disaster can precipitate significant political change in Burma.
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