YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Myanmar’s military junta rejected a U.N. statement calling for negotiations with the opposition, insisting Friday that it would follow its own plan to bring democracy to the country. (more…)

Myanmar’s embattled opposition party urged the ruling military junta Friday to quickly meet fresh demands by the U.N. Security Council for dialogue between the generals and pro-democracy forces and the release of political prisoners. (more…)

The Ministry of Defence and Communications will take over the Myanmar Post and Telecommunication near future, according to sources.
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Guards at detention centers in Burma beat, kicked and slashed protesters rounded up during the crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations, sometimes leaving their victims to die of their injuries, a dissident group said.
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The Burmese authorities have a new enemy to hunt down-dogs which are roaming Rangoon with pictures of Than Shwe and other regime leaders around their necks.
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Cartoonists are persona non grata in military ruled Burma. The country’s censorship board has once again banned caricatures of famous cartoonist Awpikye, after the artist joined a group of Burmese celebrities in offering ‘Swan’ (food) to monks leading the protest last month.
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On suspicion that he was working for the Chin rebels, the Burmese police shot dead a local Mr. Bawi Ceu (31) near the entry gate of Thangtlang town in Chin state, Burma at 8 p.m. on October 3.
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A member of the 88 Generation Students’ Group, Hla Myo Naung, suffered nerve damage during an unsuccessful operation while in detention, according to his colleague Soe Tun.
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Sixteen monks were brought before a specially-convened tribunal inside Thayet prison at around noon yesterday.
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Italian jewellery and luxury goods maker Bulgari said on Friday it had asked its suppliers to certify that their jewels did not come from Myanmar.
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India succeeded in inking a deal for the $ 103 million Kaladan Multi-Modal Transport Project, which had hit a major bottleneck. The deal was finalised in the backdrop of turmoil-stricken Myanmar, as India was driven by its own interest. An analysis.
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The Myanmar Airways International suspended its flights after the London based insurance company put a stop to its insurance coverage till the end of October.
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Japan on Friday welcomed a UN Security Council statement denouncing Myanmar’s violent crackdown on protests and called for the junta to improve its human rights record.
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China turned against the Burmese government last night and supported a UN security council statement rebuking the military regime for its suppression of peaceful protests, and demanding the release of all political prisoners.
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Amnesty International Friday welcomed the UN Security Council’s “strong” condemnation of the continued use of violence against demonstrators in Myanmar but criticized the world body for failing to call for the immediate release of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
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A U.S. Senate committee is weighing measures to press for democratic change in Myanmar, including an arms embargo and prosecuting its leaders in an international criminal court, a senior aide said on Thursday. (more…)

The word “reconciliation” can barely be found in books about Burma’s political history. The recent bloody crackdown has made national reconciliation seem even more elusive and distant.
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It is remarkable how quickly the world has given up on the popular uprising in Burma, abandoning the country once more to the oppressive rule of the generals who have run it with singular incompetence and brutality since 1962.
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In the coming days – perhaps even hours – the destiny of Burma (also known as Myanmar), and the fates of over 50 million Burmese, will be decided. Today’s crisis has been brewing for many years. But nobody knew with any precision just when open revolt against Burma’s military dictatorship would erupt. (more…)

One week ago the U.N. Security Council met to consider a bloody crackdown by Burma’s dictatorship against Buddhist monks and others who had been peacefully protesting in favor of democracy. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called the use of force “abhorrent and unacceptable” and urged Burma’s rulers to “take bold actions towards democratization and respect for human rights.” Mr. Ban’s special envoy to the country, having returned from a visit to the Southeast Asian nation, relayed “continuing and disturbing reports of abuses . . . including raids on private homes, beatings, arbitrary arrests and disappearances.” He said he had found “accelerating impoverishment” in Burma (also known as Myanmar) and “deep and widespread discontent.” He promised an “intensification” of diplomatic efforts.
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