September 30: Yangon: Myanmar’s military junta detained two former dissident leaders on Saturday as part of a renewed crackdown on pro-democracy activists following anniversary celebrations of Aung San Suu Kyi’s political party.
(more…)

Leading opposition figures in Burma on Monday launched a campaign to gather signatures on a petition calling for the release of political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, Shan ethnic leader Khun Htun Oo and former student activist Min Ko Naing.
(more…)

September 30: Yangon: Myanmar’s military government Saturday rejected a US report that again named the Southeast Asian nation as one of the world’s worst violators of religious freedom.
(more…)

The detained student leader Min Ko Naing may be moved to the Akyab prison again during the first week of October, says a source close to the prison authority.
(more…)

September 30: A State Peace and Development Council colonel with a long history of sexually abusing women in Ye Township has returned to take up his old post to tackle Mon insurgency, sources say from the area. The Mon community fear young women will fall victim to his sexual exploits, said women concerned about his return to Ye township.
(more…)

At least six people have died and many made homeless by floods caused by torrential rain in Mandalay, central Burma, according to local residents.
(more…)

October 1: Yangon: Offices with names like Golden Opportunity, Successful World, and Megarich International are sprouting up across Yangon, enticing young men from impoverished Myanmar with the promise of lucrative work overseas.
(more…)

Self-sufficiency economy gets new push over Thaksinomics — Stress on national reconciliation, tanks and troops to withdraw — Ending southern violence during 12-month term a key goal
(more…)

September 30: Members of the U.N. Security Council met yesterday behind closed doors to discuss the political situation in Burma for the first time, and afterward the U.S. ambassador, John R. Bolton, said the United States would push for a resolution on human rights and freedom for political prisoners to be voted on later this year.
(more…)

September 30: United Nations: The United States told the U.N. Security Council it plans to introduce a resolution on Myanmar later this year as part of its campaign to end the military dictatorship’s repressive policies and promote democracy and human rights.
(more…)

When Zoya Phan was 13, she was happy. Every day on her way home from school, deep in the thick forest of Karen state in eastern Burma, she would scramble on her hands and knees up hillsides to pick mushrooms for her mother. Before the rains came that summer she chased scarlet butterflies through lush banana gardens and mango trees, the sweet smell of ripening rice heavy in the air.
(more…)

The news of the appointment of Gen Surayud Chulanont to be interim prime minister in Thailand has undoubtedly been warmly received by many Thais. Many in Thailand’s neighbor, Burma, have also expressed optimism.
(more…)