Comments made by a Burmese government official that detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi could soon be released have been greeted with skepticism by party members. (more…)

The Burmese military junta is secretly readying special troops totaling 300,000 for the elimination of ethnic rebels after the 2010 elections in the country, said sources close to senior Burmese military officers in capital Naypyidaw. (more…)

Yangon, Myanmar — The National League for Democracy (Headquarters) has kept in touch with the US and British embassies and is following their instructions. The people are criticizing such act of NLD and keeping a watchful eye on it. (more…)

Yangon — Two former ethnic peace groups — New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K) in Kachin State Special Region-1 and Kayinni Nationalities People’s Liberation Front (KNPLF) in Kayah State Special Region-2 have been re-formed into frontier forces by the government, state-run Myanmar Radio and Television reported Tuesday evening. (more…)

Yangon — Myanmar and Chinese bank authorities are to establish direct banking system between the two countries in a bid to facilitate transaction in border trade, traders circle said on Tuesday. (more…)

WASHINGTON – US President Barrack Obama is meeting with all 10 member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at a summit in Singapore, despite its strained relationship with Myanmar. (more…)

Singapore — A weekend summit involving US President Barack Obama and the premier of military-ruled Myanmar will be a “breakthrough” in ties between Southeast Asia and the United States, Singapore said Tuesday. (more…)

Nay Pyi Taw – Prime Minister of the Union of Myanmar General Thein Sein, on 6 November evening, attended the 1St Mekong-Japan Summit at the Japanese Prime Minister’s office in Tokyo of Japan. (more…)

Colombo – Myanmar’s junta leader General Than Shwe will visit Sri Lanka this week for bilateral talks and to tour Buddhist shrines, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. (more…)

Washington, D.C. – United States President Barack Obama will make a personal plea for the release of Myanmarese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi at his summit with Asean leaders in Singapore on Sunday, a senior Administration official told The Straits Times. (more…)

New Delhi – Rights groups have demanded that the United Nations Security Council Working Group closely monitor the progress of work on eliminating violations against children and the use of child soldiers in military-ruled Burma. (more…)

Burma’s ruling junta has yet to disclose its plans for next year’s election, but it’s not too early to start asking if there is a chance, however remote, that the generals will allow the vote to be free and fair, and what can be done to make this happen. (more…)

Local civilians in Western Burma (Myanmar) face severe negative consequences from the planned construction of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transport Project; these include heavy damage to the environment and therefore livelihoods, as well as widespread human rights abuses.  A preliminary report from the Arakan Rivers Network (ARN) presents some of these local voices and highlights their concerns; it provides a comprehensive update on the status of the project and an expert analysis of its expected impacts. The report will be released on November 10, 2009. (more…)