Cha-am, Thailand – The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Sunday welcomed a new US policy of engagement with Myanmar, saying it was the right approach to dealing with a member of its club considered a pariah by many Western nations. (more…)

While I was sitting in a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Burma on a beautiful fall day last week, a Burmese-born American citizen who happens to live 30 minutes from Capitol Hill was languishing in Rangoon’s notorious Insein prison. The Burmese courts have charged this American, Kyaw Zaw Lwin, with fraud and forgery, though the ruling regime’s official mouthpiece, the New Light of Myanmar, has also accused him of terrorist activities. Kyaw Zaw Lwin’s defense counsel has said that his client was physically tortured during his detention and denied any allegations that he was plotting to incite unrest. Last week, his trial began. (more…)

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations inaugurated its human-rights commission Friday. Like its United Nations equivalent, it’s a toothless body, but it can still do damage to the cause it’s supposed to serve. (more…)

New Delhi – In the past couple of years, India has taken a lot of international heat for its close engagement with Myanmar’s ruling junta when the US and EU were slamming on sanctions, essentially driving Myanmar into even greater isolation. (more…)

Myanmar has great faith in important role played by United Nations in promoting social justice, economic progress and better standards of living of citizens of the world (more…)

New Delhi – The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), one of Burma’s longest running rebel group, said they are willing to abandon arms struggle if, the ruling junta guarantees equal rights to both ethnics and Burmans agreed in the historic Panlong agreement. (more…)

The junta military is conducting weapons and combat trainings for its civilian and paramilitary members in Kunhing township, where the ceasefire group the Shan State Army (SSA) North’s 7th brigade is based, said one of the trainees’ relative. (more…)

CHA-AM, Thailand — Southeast Asian governments inaugurated their first human rights commission on Friday in what they hailed as a milestone for a region ruled by governments as diverse as the thriving democracy in Indonesia, the hermetic communist regime in Laos and the repressive military dictatorship in Myanmar. (more…)

CHA-AM Thailand – Southeast Asian nations inaugurated their first regional human rights commission Friday, a watchdog immediately derided as toothless by activists who walked out of a meeting to protest being cold-shouldered by five of the governments involved. (more…)

United Nations – Human rights violations in Myanmar are alarming, North Koreans are starving and living in continual fear and Palestinians are suffering amid Middle East tensions, U.N. rights envoys said on Thursday. (more…)

Washington, D.C. — The next few months will be a testing period for the US-Burma relationship, trying to determine if the generals are ready to make meaningful changes in the tightly ruled country, said the advocacy director of Human Rights Watch (HRW). (more…)

AS A MEMBER of Asean, Burma is a sham. Since its admission into the grouping in 1997, the pariah state has violated international norms unabated. Even though the Asean Charter came into force last December, the Rangoon regime continues to defy several fundamental principles contained in the charter, such as the respect for the rule of law, good governance, democracy, human rights and social justice. (more…)

Bangkok – The long-anticipated review of United States policy towards Myanmar was rolled out recently, and it was anti-climactic. Announced in February by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who argued that neither engagement nor sanctions had worked, the review dragged on for months before concluding that the US would begin tentative “pragmatic engagement” with the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). It would also keep in place sanctions and other punitive measures. Senior members of the US State Department have already begun initial talks with various members of the regime. (more…)

Bangkok – A high-level American delegation will travel to Myanmar in coming weeks on a fact-finding mission as part of the United States’ new engagement policy with the military ruled country. The talks will center on improving Myanmar’s human-rights situation and its claimed intention to move towards democracy, but the subtext will be improving diplomatic relations and fostering influence in a country widely viewed as a key regional ally of China . (more…)

At 1130pm, Thurs, Thai foreign Ministry officials informed organizers of APF that 5 out of 10 civil society representatives were rejected from the interface meeting with ASEAN heads of government. The remaining representatives were told to be ready for pick up at 7.A.M., nearly 5 hours before the scheduled meeting. (see below for list of delegates). (more…)

The Burma Campaign UK today called on the United Nations and international community to renew efforts to secure the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners in Burma. (more…)

Burma’s military government is still one of the most corrupt countries in the world, according to the Global Corruption Report 2009 released by Transparency International (TI) on Thursday. (more…)

Yangon — A senior U.S. official will visit Myanmar next week in line with Washington’s new policy of engaging the military-ruled Southeast Asian nation, a Foreign Ministry official said Thursday. (more…)

Yangon — Myanmar’s authorities have allowed the first mobile phones to be used in its remote capital Naypyidaw after previously banning them for security reasons, residents there said Thursday. (more…)

New Delhi – Leaders of Burma’s National League for Democracy responding to requests on Thursday by party members to call a General Assembly said they are not in a position to call a nation-wide meeting due to the current political restrictions imposed on the party. (more…)