At least three political prisoners were severely beaten by other inmates in the presence of prison officials in Rangoon’s notorious Insein prison, a Thailand-based rights group announced today.
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Delegates at the National Convention began discussing the thorny issue of the Burmese army’s role in the future government yesterday, as junta-backed groups continued to hold mass rallies in support of the process.
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Yangon: Foreign investment in Myanmar dropped 11.6 percent in 2005 to US$113 million (€94 million), with the bulk of funds directed at the Southeast Asian nation’s oil and gas markets and manufacturing, a journal reported.
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New Delhi: In a major blow to India’s effort to secure its energy needs through transnational pipelines, Myanmar has refused to supply natural gas to New Delhi and instead preferred doing business with China.
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Kachin communities in Burma and abroad ended a week of “Kachin State Day” celebrations today. About 100,000 Kachin people celebrated in Myitkyina, capital of Burma’s Kachin State, while demonstrations were held outside the Burmese embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand.
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Singapore: China’s involvement is needed to push for political reforms in Myanmar, US billionaire financier George Soros said Wednesday.
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Every year more than 50,000 Bangladeshi Muslim pilgrims visit Saudi Arabia to perform Hazz. The Burmese military government also allows a very small number of Muslims from Burma to perform Hazz each year, while many Muslim pilgrims from Arakan state go to Saudi Arabia using a Bangladeshi passport.
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The UN is about to appoint a new envoy and may be ready belatedly to stand up to the ill-governed country. Even though Razali Ismail served as an outstanding diplomat for Malaysia, he found it very difficult to foster cooperation and dialogue between the Burmese government and opposition.
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Besides restraining China, India must prevent the US from fomenting trouble in its strategic neighbourhood in the east, says P Stobdan.
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