Military-ruled Myanmar is gripped by a climate of fear ahead of a May 10 constitutional referendum, according to three Buddhist monks who led a failed revolt against the junta and other activists. (more…)

Burma’s ruling junta on Friday publicly encouraged citizens to support its draft constitution, for which it will seek approval on May 10. (more…)

A clause in the Burmese junta’s draft constitution requiring the agreement of all voters for any amendments to be made has been blamed on a typographical error by officials. (more…)

A member of the National League for Democracy from Rambree Township in Arakan State was arrested on Sunday by the town’s police force as he was holding some statements on the upcoming referendum that were issued by the NLD Rangoon headquarters, states an NLD report. (more…)

Many townships in Shan State have been ordered to support the draft military’s constitution in the referendum in May with threats on those who might say no to the draft with arrests by the military, according to local sources. (more…)

The Burmese military junta authorities warned villagers of Taungbro Sub-township in Maungdaw, Arakan State, yesterday not to cast the “No” vote in the ensuing constitutional referendum to be held on May 10. If the villagers cast votes against the regime the country will be overtaken by hardships, they cautioned, said a source close to the police. (more…)

The announcer on Burmese state television only had two sentences to offer, but they were supposed to herald good news. On May 10th, he declared, Burma would hold a constitutional referendum, giving citizens a rare chance to participate in the political process. In the wake of global condemnation of crushed protests last year, Burma’s secretive junta had apparently committed itself to a modicum of reform. Among the first steps would be a plebiscite on the army-drafted charter. (The previous constitution was torn up by the junta 18 years ago, and the country has operated without a basic law since then.) Then would come multi-party elections in 2010. The end result would be what Burma’s generals refer to as “discipline-flourishing democracy.” (more…)

The survivors of a horrific people-smuggling accident which left 54 dead were sentenced to three days in jail after a Thai court Friday convicted them of illegal entry. (more…)

The deaths by suffocation of 54 Myanmar illegal workers have highlighted the failure of Thailand’s formal recruitment labour system, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said Friday. (more…)

Over 50 Chinese trucks to tow howitzers, which were transferred to Burma, arrived on the Sino-Burma border town of Ruili on Friday morning, eyewitnesses said. (more…)

He doesn’t know how old he is, but he thinks he’s 7. His name is Khin Zaw Lin. He’s lived in a garbage dump virtually his entire life. (more…)

A team of prosecutors is now considering the criminal charges brought against Thaksin Shinawatra by the Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC) for alleged abuse of his authority over the Export-Import (Exim) Bank in the granting of a four-billion-baht soft loan to Burma. The ASC yesterday submitted eight files of documents and its 1,294 page inquiry report to the Attorney-General’s Office. The team examining the case is headed by Deputy Attorney-General Waiyawut Lortrakul. (more…)

One of Burma’s largest private banks, Yoma, will resume full banking operations again after a five-year suspension by the military government for money laundering, according to a bank shareholder. (more…)

Extortion Gangs Halt Trade on India’s Main ‘Look-East’ Route

India’s much talked about idea of accessing the markets of Southeast Asia via a trans-Asia highway seemed farther away from reality this week as rebel extortion gangs yet again brought commercial life to a halt at the Moreh Indo-Burma border trade crossing. (more…)

The US government has named a top diplomat who is familiar with Burma as its first envoy to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). (more…)

Thailand sent a message of condolence to Burma on Friday over the deaths by suffocation of 54 Burmese workers in Ranong. (more…)

Three Myanmar brothers were sentenced to 36 years’ jail by the Sessions Court here today after they were found guilty of attempting to murder a consular and committing mischief. (more…)

Over one thousand supporters of Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her calls for democracy in Burma are expected to rally today in front of United Nations headquarters in New York. (more…)

In the 6½ years Htein Lin spent in Myanmar prisons between 1998 and 2004, he produced an estimated 250 paintings. He credits prison guards with helping to save most of his work. (more…)

Three monks who helped organize protests in Burma last September, and eye-witnessesed the brutal crackdown by the military government, made their first public remarks in the United States Wednesday. The three monks spoke at a briefing of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus in Washington, where they also expressed their opposition to a national referendum on the constitution, scheduled for May 10. (more…)