Yangon: Punks, rockers and scantily-dressed youths thronged the streets of Yangon at the weekend for a raucous Buddhist New Year party, despite warnings from Myanmar’s junta against any subversive behaviour. (more…)

Yangon: Military-ruled Myanmar has recently signed off on a raft of energy deals with its power-hungry neighbours, winning the junta a desperately needed income stream.
(more…)

Yangon: As people in Myanmar’s ramshackle but bustling former capital made their way to work one recent weekday, they heard a sound many may have struggled to place. Through the tinkle of temple bells and the rumble of traffic was the distinctive crack of a leather ball on a willow bat.
(more…)

A Thai citizen captured by the pro-junta Democratic Karen Buddhist Army of Burma has been held since last Thursday, the foreign ministry said.
(more…)

The signature campaign against increased tax rates in Magwe Division’s Chauk township has reportedly spread to several other areas in Magwe and Arakan State.
(more…)

Myanmar is taking steps to create the first gem merchants’ association to develop the county’s rough gem industry.
(more…)

Human Rights Watch yesterday urged Thailand to protect ethnic minorities fleeing fighting from neighbouring Burma and condemned the military government in Rangoon for the fresh round of violence.
(more…)

United Nations: Nelson Mandela’s South Africa projected an image of a virtuous nation, reconciling with a brutal white minority government, scrapping the country’s nuclear weapons program and serving as an enduring symbol of resistance to political oppression.
(more…)

Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader who has been detained by Burma’s military regime for nearly 20 years, is a true hero for our times, writes the chancellor, Gordon Brown, in this extract from his new book
(more…)

Radio Free Asia – a non-profit corporation that broadcasts news and information to Asian countries where listeners lack access to full and free news media – is seeking a Director for its Burmese language service, located in Washington, DC. Reporting to the Deputy Director for Southeast Asia, the Director supervises the production of top quality, unbiased, and balanced news and information programs relevant to life in Burma.
(more…)