The prickly issue of human rights in Burma will take a back seat to the global financial meltdown as leaders of cash-strapped Southeast Asian countries meet this weekend for an annual summit. (more…)

It was supposed to be a grand encounter. However, the meeting between representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs), Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan and Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya over the weekend, turned out to be less than spectacular for the nearly 1,000-strong audience when the two senior Asean officials opined in unison that the region’s CSOs would be held responsible in blame or shame should the Asean Charter fail. (more…)

Myanmar’s military rulers have begun releasing thousands of prisoners in an effort to deflect international pressure on them to introduce political reform. Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, has welcomed the move, calling it an important first step towards democracy. (more…)

It is a rare occasion that both the ASEAN Chair and the ASEAN Secretary-General sit down to dialogue with hundreds of civil society representatives, and expectations were understandably high. However, it was a surprise that it was Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan who caused consternation by his responses to matters raised at the ASEAN Civil Society Conference dialogue session on the weekend. (more…)

Burma’s main opposition party the National League for Democracy on Monday clarified its statement issued on February 17, saying it is not to be misunderstood that detained party leader Aung San Suu Kyi is in agreement with the ruling junta’s statement. (more…)

Two All Burma Federation of Student Unions leaders who were recently sentenced to three years’ imprisonment each have been transferred to remote prisons, according to their families. (more…)

Lack of money and effective equipment is hampering Burmese local authorities tackle an increasing number of dry season fires. (more…)

Myanmar has planned full coverage of public access centers (PAC) in every township in the country to facilitate communication links, according to the Myanmar Info-Tech Tuesday. (more…)

Lao President Choummaly Sayasone met Chief of Staff of the Myanmar Armed Forces General Thura Shwe Mannin Vientiane to discuss the continued exchange of border security delegations to ensure a secure shared border, the Lao newspaper Vientiane Times reported Tuesday. (more…)

A massive manhunt has been launched by the Burmese Army following the shootings on the Mekong last week which resulted in the seizure of more than 350 kgs of heroin and a cache of B 217 million ($ 6 million), according to a reliable source. (more…)

Myanmar Prime Minister General Thein Sein will attend the 14th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Hua Hin, Thailand in the near future, said an official announcement from Nay Pyi Taw Tuesday without specifying the date of his attendance. (more…)

Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the release of 6,313 prisoners in Burma over the weekend as “a positive step,” although it added that it would “take some time to get the whole picture of the release.” (more…)

Welcoming the recent amnesty of some 6,000 prisoners, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Burma’s military government to send positive signals to the international community at this time. (more…)

Australia has offered to help Indonesia deal with the Muslim asylum seekers from Burma, who are living in camps in Aceh after being rescued at sea earlier this year. (more…)

At a November meeting of ethnic minority and pro-democracy groups in the northern Thai town of Chiang Mai, a representative of the Danish government development agency DANIDA called on the dissident participants to take part in the political process inside Myanmar, including support for the upcoming 2010 elections, or face funding cuts. (more…)

Today “human rights” and “human security” are no longer new words in the Asean lexicon. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations addressed the human rights issue for the first time in its joint communique in 1993. Ten years later, in 2003, ten Asean members endorsed the new regional values of promoting democracy and protecting human security under the Bali Concord. (more…)

The elected representative of Thaketa township constituency 2 in Rangoon division, Dr Maung Maung Latt died on 22 February at the age of 59. (more…)

The authorities in Burma are in the process of releasing more than 6,300 prisoners, but human rights groups say that only a small number of them are political prisoners, including some members of the opposition National League for Demo-cracy. (more…)

Burma’s state-run newspaper on Monday said United Nations Human Rights expert Tomas Ojea Quintana’s visit to Burma, had been a success, as it immediately resulted in the release of over 6,000 prisoners across the country. (more…)

When Burma’s state-run media announced an amnesty for more than 6,000 prisoners on Saturday, the families of many political detainees flocked to the prison gates chasing a faint glimmer of hope. On Monday morning, some were still there-clinging to what they knew was a futile dream of reuniting with their loved ones. (more…)