MYANMAR’S new constitution would require all of the country’s eligible voters to approve important amendments, according to a leaked copy of the military’s proposed basic law seen on Tuesday. (more…)

The campaign for a “No” vote in the May referendum is gaining further momentum, with two youth groups adding their voices to the calls to oppose the constitution. (more…)

Letters written to the 88 Generation Students’ Open Heart campaign last year reflect the wide-ranging abuses by Burmese authorities and illustrate the need for urgent action, the group said in a report. (more…)

A group of unidentified persons among the crowd which attended Ludu Daw Amar’s funeral left a floral basket sent by Aung San Suu Kyi last night. (more…)

The momentum of the “Vote No” campaign against the military-drafted constitution is growing and spreading among the public in urban areas. Meanwhile, the military authorities are tightening security and deploying more security guards in Burma’s main cities. (more…)

In Burma, the devil really is in the detail. Close scrutineers of Burma’s new constitution, due to be put to a referendum next month, are wondering whether the omission of four key words is just a typographical error or a dastardly trick by the military junta to keep power forever. (more…)

Natural gas exports to Thailand alone earned the country $2.7 billion, accounting for a 2007 trade surplus of $3.1 billion. (more…)

The sudden suspension of passenger transport services along India’s border highway has served a body blow to Indo-Burma border trade once again. (more…)

The Indo-Burmese relationship is acquiring a positive momentum of its own despite western rights groups’ criticism of Myanmar ‘s handling of pro-democracy demonstrations some six months back. India had rolled out red-carpet for Burmese military junta’s top leadership who were on a five day visit to India that began from April 4, 2008. (more…)

Malaysian authorities have stepped up arrests of illegal Burmese migrants in Kuala Lumpur and other cities, forcing many to go into hiding in jungle areas. (more…)

Charm Tong was born in Burma’s conflict-lacerated countryside 26 years ago. She was 6 when her parents stuffed her into a straw basket strapped onto a donkey and sent her to join a caravan of villagers snaking its way through lush jungles to an orphanage inside the Thai border. Their desperate choice seemed a better option as the country’s repressive military regime moved through some 1,400 farming villages, taking ethnic Burmese from their lands and forcing them into labor, often after torturing them. (more…)

A Reuters news agency photographer won the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography on Monday for a picture of a Burmese soldier shooting dead a Japanese video cameraman during a last September’s demonstrations in Rangoon. (more…)

MRS. BUSH: Thank you very much, Senator Hutchison. Tonight, we pay tribute to the people of Burma — especially the women, who have inspired the world with their grace and courage in the face of brutality. (more…)

Tom Lansner is adjunct associate professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, specializing in international media and communications. He covered conflicts in many countries over a decade as correspondent for the London Observer and other publications. His three-part e-seminar on war reporting is available at Columbia Interactive. (more…)

Six months ago the world watched a courageous attempt led by Buddhist monks to replace military dictatorship with democracy. But what’s the situation in Burma today? (more…)

Which way is Burma heading? Straight to a new confrontation it seems. And when the dust settles, the customary winners: the Burmese army. (more…)