India plans to train young men from Mizoram State to authenticate gems in an attempt to curb the smuggling of precious stones from Burma, according to the Indian Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council.
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More than 150 border health workers attended a conference today that focused on disease surveillance and the development of treatment systems among migrant workers and refugees along the Thai-Burmese border.
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Myanmar plans to resume sales of chicken within days in the central city of Mandalay, after banning poultry sales in a bid to control a bird flu outbreak, the state media said Thursday.
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Myanmar’s military junta incinerated US$1.4 billion (euro1.1 billion) worth of heroin and other drugs in a giant bonfire organized for foreign diplomats to show the country’s commitment to cleaning up its image as a drug haven.
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A group of 77 Myanmar Muslims who became stranded on an Indonesian island have vowed to continue their journey to seek work overseas, an Indonesian navy commander said Thursday.
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April 25, Speaking at Conservative Human Rights Commission event on Tuesday 25th April (at 6:00pm), Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague will highlight the plight of Human Rights workers in Burma. (more…)

Media Advisory: April 27, 2006 – 14h00 (Eastern Time)
Ottawa: Ivanhoe Mines Ltd (TSX: IVN), which operates a 50/50 joint venture with the military junta in Burma lashed out at an environmental activist for his role in a recent protest against Ivanhoe’s operations in Mongolia.
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Bangkok: Myanmar troops have attacked ethnic rebel villages near the Thai border in the biggest government offensive in years, burning homes and forcing thousands to flee, a rebel leader said on Wednesday.
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Yangon: The official newspaper New Light of Myanmar urged on Wednesday the country’s all state service personnel enjoying the monthly salaries provided by the government to be loyal to the state and serve the nation’s interest with extra momentum.
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April 25, San Yi, the mother of former political prisoner Thet Naing Oo who was brutally beaten to death by municipal and fire brigade members, wrote a letter to Burma’s ruling military junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) chairman Gen. Than Shwe, urging him to help find out the truth about the murder of her son.
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April 25, [Editor's Note: the following is a written article based on the recent radio program by Orlando de Guzman available here: www.theworld.org/worldfeature/Myanmar ]
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April 25, As Thailand’s drug enforcement chief Krisna Pol-anand prepares his trip to witness Burma’s latest drug bonfire in Kengtung tomorrow, a Wa commander has dispatched 250-fresh troops to the scene of the battle that took place Friday, 21 April, just 1 km north of the Chiangrai border, according to Thai and Shan sources.
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Critics say India’s economic engagement will help prop up Burma’s military junta.
Bombay: Burma’s military junta is widely lambasted for allegedly sponsoring rape, torture, and forced labor of its opponents, yet India – the world’s most populous democracy – is forging closer links with its notorious but gas-rich northeastern neighbor as Indian thirst for energy grows.
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April 25,  Chinese authorities have called on all Chinese workers to leave Burma in an attempt to contain illegal logging, a Burmese journalist on the China-Burma border told Mizzima.
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Turkey and Myanmar (Burma) signed a ”Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement” in recent days, the Turkish Foreign Trade Undersecretariat declared in a statement issued on Tuesday.
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The National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma said today Burma’s political stalemate could only be solved by a Nepalese-style people’s movement.
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Kuala Lumpur: US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has confirmed she will attend Southeast Asia’s annual security meeting here in July, Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said Wednesday.
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Jakarta: Indonesian officials said Wednesday they were checking whether 77 Myanmar Muslims who became stranded on their way to Malaysia wanted to be considered as refugees.
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From North Korea to Iran, Chinese President Hu Jintao made many of the right noises during his visit to Washington last week. One of the biggest gestures was Mr. Hu’s offer to put aside longstanding friendships with Pyongyang and Tehran and help curb their nuclear ambitions. But when it comes to Burma, China’s policy has yet to make a similar shift and use its influence as a force for change.
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Burmese Army offensives against rebels and civilians in Karen State are the largest for nearly ten years, creating more than 11,000 newly displaced people, Karen rebels and medical relief teams say.
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