“I hope the international community will stand with us. The governments of the world should declare that they reject the regime’s election and prearranged outcome, and pressure the regime to make substantive and positive change for Burma, beginning with the immediate release of all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and the cessation of the regime’s military campaign against ethnic minorities. The regime should negotiate with Burma’s democracy forces, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, and ethnic representatives for a peaceful solution toward national reconciliation and true democracy.” – U Win Tin, member of the Central Executive Committee and co-founder of Burma’s National League for Democracy

Yangon, Myanmar – Many Myanmar residents Tuesday greeted a decision by the party of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi to boycott elections with rousing approval while others called it a blunder leaving voters with little option in the military-organized balloting. (more…)

The Rohingya, the Muslim minority living primarily in Burma’s western Arakan State, will  form a political party and contest the upcoming elections although most Rohingya are not currently Burmese citizens, according to sources close to prominent members of the Rohingya community. (more…)

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa is expected to meet with Burmese generals this week, in what will be the junta’s first meeting with a top diplomat from Southeast Asia since its Political Party Registration Law was announced in early March. (more…)

Dhaka – A strong, 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck in the Andaman Sea off Myanmar at 10:24 pm (1654 GMT) Tuesday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. No destructive tsunami was expected. (more…)

Sydney – Australia said Tuesday that elections in Myanmar would only be fair if Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition party can take part, and said meaningful change in the military-run state was now doubtful. (more…)

There is no prospect of Burma’s first elections in two decades being “free, fair or inclusive”, Downing Street said today. (more…)

New York: China has joined Australia and the US in telling Burma’s military junta to free all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and allow them to participate in upcoming elections, the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, said. (more…)

Burma’s military regime has forced our party, the National League for Democracy, to make a tough decision on whether we will continue to operate legally. (more…)

Burma’s generals are embracing democracy this year—”discipline-flourishing democracy,” as they like to put it—and some of the junta’s friends are buying in to the program. “There is a new beginning after the elections,” said Association of Southeast Asian Nations Secretary General Surin Pitsawan last month, calling them “a step forward.” (more…)

Yangon – The withdrawal of the National League for Democracy (NLD) opposition party from an election planned this year has added to the perception that the polls would bring no change to Myanmar’s political landscape, other than in the clothing of the generals who run the country. (more…)

At Bernard Kouchner’s request, human rights ambassador François Zimeray will be visiting Burma and Thailand from March 28 to April 2. (more…)