Supreme court gives no reason for rejecting her latest bid to end more than a decade of house arrest. (more…)

Chiang Mai – The Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Burma today approved 100 members of the new Central Committee (CC). (more…)

Though the Thai government has extended the previous deadline of Feb. 28 to March 2 for migrant workers to go to local employment departments and agree to go through the national verification process with their home countries, the system is in chaos, according to Andy Hall, director of the Migrant Justice Programme (MJP). (more…)

Bangkok – A state bank loan of $121 million to Myanmar agreed by the government of ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra for satellite services benefited his business, a judge said on Friday, adding to a list of findings that could lead to the confiscation of his family’s frozen wealth. (more…)

South Korea has suspended permits for Burmese migrant workers after Korean police discovered “illegal activity” being carried out by migrants, although it declined to say what these were. (more…)

Prime Minister Gordon Brown today said he was “appalled and saddened” that Burma’s highest court had turned down opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s latest bid for freedom. (more…)

Thailand needs migrant workers; it’s time we protected them from exploitation here and persecution in their own countries (more…)

BANGKOK (Mizzima) – The United Nations special rapporteur for human rights in Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana believes there that the country’s political prisoners will not be freed any time soon. “There seems to be no movement on political prisoners since my last trip [a year ago],” the UN envoy told Mizzima in an interview in Bangkok a few days ago. “In fact the government continues to deny that there are any prisoners of conscience.” (more…)

The denial of Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s appeal against her sentencing in August 2009 was condemned today by Foreign Office Minister Ivan  Lewis, although he said it came as no surprise. (more…)

Asked by the media to comment on the decision on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s appeal, the MFA Spokesman said: (more…)

Chiang Mai, Thailand – Women who fled conflict and oppression in military-ruled Burma have become a potent political force during their lives in exile, says a leading women’s rights activist from the South-east Asian country’s Shan ethnic minority. (more…)

Burma’s Supreme Court is excepted to rule on detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s appeal against an 18-month extension to her house arrest today. (more…)

The United States’ Chargé d’Affaires in Rangoon has met Central Executive Committee (CEC) members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) to discuss the opposition party’s political stance and whether it will participate in this year’s election. (more…)

Bangkok — Myanmar troops have gang-raped, murdered and even crucified Karen women, or those in their charge, who took on the roles of village chiefs in hopes they would be less likely abused than traditional male leaders, a Karen group said Thursday. (more…)

An internal document of the Thailand’s Ministry of Labor said Burmese migrants will have one more month extension to fill in the nationality verification (NV) forms with his/her biographical information to submit to their home governments if he/she agrees to go through the NV process by the original deadline, 28 February 2010, according to Human Rights and Development Foundation (HRDF). (more…)

Chiang Mai – American Lisa Nesser moved to northern Thailand six years ago to help refugees from Burma.  Lisa discovered many minority children from Burma were unable to attend regular schools in Thailand so she started giving the children free evening classes and her small group of students soon grew into a unique school.  As we hear from VOA’s Daniel Schearf, Nesser is making a difference in the city of Chiang Mai through her school – Thai Freedom House. (more…)

Bangkok – THEY sew bras, peel shrimps, build blocks of flats and haul fishing-nets. In return, migrant workers in Thailand are paid poorly, if at all, and face exploitation and abuse at the hands of employers and the security forces. Up to 3m migrants, many undocumented and mostly from Myanmar, fall into this category. So a scheme to start registering this workforce and bring it into the legal fold sounds like a step forward. Migrants have been ordered to apply to their home countries for special passports so that they can work legally in Thailand and, in theory, enjoy access to public services, such as health care. (more…)

Chiang Mai – In the wake of the murderous ambush on the Burmese police force on the Mekong River, in the Golden Triangle on February 20, which left 14 policemen dead and missing, the junta has beefed up security in the area and sealed the international border with Laos. (more…)

Rangoon – When Aye Aye (not her real name) leaves her youngest son at home each night, she tells him that she has to work selling snacks. But what Aye actually sells is sex so that her 12-year-old son, a Grade 7 student, can finish his education. (more…)

Kuala Lumpur – As Myanmar plans for general elections this year, the country’s military rulers have announced their commitment to ASEAN and the international community to conduct a truly democratic election and ensure a “free and fair” electoral process. (more…)