“And who do you want to be the next President of the United States?” I asked a clandestine congregation in Rangoon on a recent trip to Burma. The answer was quick and unanimous in coming, “McCain!” (more…)

After more than three months, victims of Cyclone Nargis continue to face a huge requirement of emergency food supply and equipment to rebuild their lives, the United Nations’ World Food Programme said on Friday. (more…)

A solo protestor in the town of Taungup in western Burma’s Arakan state was arrested by local police on Friday morning while marching the streets with a placard calling for the release of detained pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, an eyewitness said. (more…)

The Burmese junta’s Minister of Information refused to accept the resignation of the regime’s chief censor, said a government official who requested anonymity.
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The mayor of Rangoon has confirmed that security will be heightened in the former capital in the coming weeks, as Burma approaches another sensitive anniversary, this time marking last year’s monk-led uprising against military rule. (more…)

Heavier than normal monsoon rain has led to severe flooding throughout Burma, especially in Karen and Mon states and along the Mekong River.
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A former child soldier who escaped from a hard labour camp after being jailed for desertion has been re-arrested while trying to compile a case to submit to the International Labour Organisation, his uncle said.
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Despite the impassioned plea by Myanmar democracy activists to visitors and athletes at the Beijing Olympic Games to shun ‘Blood Jade’ from Myanmar, which accounts for a huge source of income for the military junta, such jade is believed to be in use in the medallions to be awarded. (more…)

The domestic airlines Air Mandalay on Friday denied rumours doing the rounds that it was being taken over by Air Bagan.  Air Mandalay is into international operations between Rangoon and Chiang Mai in Thailand.
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The cost of food and basic commodities has continued to rise, with some estimating that goods have doubled in price since last year, while the government puts the increase at 40 percent.
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Five exiled Burmese politicians were invited to attend a session of the Indonesian parliament on Friday, at which President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was scheduled to present a state of the nation address.
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The United Nations estimated that it has lost only US $1.56 million-not $10 million, as earlier cited-in relief funds for Burmese cyclone survivors due to foreign exchange rules imposed by the country’s military regime.
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Disasters struck Burma and China this year, wiping out villages in an instant and leaving millions of people homeless.
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The United Nations special envoy on Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, is expected to arrive in Rangoon in the next few days for another round of talks with the country’s military regime. If his visit is to have any meaning, he must move beyond the U.N.’s traditional diplomatic niceties and make concrete demands for change.
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Burma Campaign UK sources have confirmed that Burmese Army soldiers have gang-raped and mutilated a 15 year old schoolgirl in Kachin State Burma. No action has been taken by the Burmese authorities to investigate and arrest those involved. (more…)