WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Wednesday defended its policy of engagement with the Burmese military junta following calls from several US senators to review the policy. (more…)

A $250,000 infusion of federal cash would help a Fort Wayne clinic treat Burmese refugees who have high rates of infectious diseases, Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., told a Senate committee. (more…)

The past 20 years has seen massive foreign investments in Burma and a policy of unconditional engagement pursued by neighbouring countries, including my own, Indonesia. This practice of unprincipled engagement, which ASEAN has been guilty of, has failed to bring positive change to my Burmese neighbours who show so much courage and hope. (more…)

The Burmese people are probably about to get their first chance to vote in twenty years. Things did not go well last time; the military prevented the winners taking power. Now, new groups are emerging to try to take advantage of the limited opportunities on offer. (more…)

The New Year festival bombing death toll in Rangoon has risen to 10 dead, according to Rangoon media this week. (more…)

RANGOON—The red and white sign in front of Burma’s main opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), headquarters in Rangoon will disappear in the next 15 days. (more…)

Mumbai — India’s state-run NHPC Ltd. is considering building two hydroelectric power projects in Myanmar at an investment of 250 billion rupees ($5.6 billion) as it seeks to expand, its chairman said Wednesday. (more…)

Rangoon – Arsenic contamination in drinking water, which poses a serious public health risk, has been found in all 12 regions of Burma, a Ministry of Health official says, quoting a joint survey with the UN child protection body, Unicef. (more…)

Wellington – THREE government officials from Myanmar’s repressive military regime are studying English in New Zealand, funded by the taxpayer. (more…)

Ka Hsaw Wa is a Karen refugee in Canada, a nation with some of the most stringent sanctions on Burma’s ruling generals. It has now been revealed that he and others were spied on by a university for having a meeting about his homeland. (more…)

The United States recognized the winners in the Sudan parliamentary election last week and  said the Obama administration will engage with the new government even though the electoral process was not judged to be free or fair. (more…)

Appeal for a commitment against the upcoming sham elections in Burma, which are set to perpetuate the military dictatorship in civilian clothing, the violation of human rights, forced labour and the prohibition against political and trade union freedom, ensuring the impunity of the military junta for its crimes against humanity. (more…)

Rangoon authorities have arrested at least three people who took photographs of the recent bombings at a New Year Festival, according to the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoner (AAPP). (more…)

Burmese authorities are reportedly collecting information on the backgrounds of candidates looking to contest elections this year, the head of a registered party has said. (more…)

Chiang Mai– Kachin Independence Organisation troops are providing military training to people from the ethnic minority after the group refused to join the Burma Army’s Border Guard Force, local residents and group officers said. (more…)

Yangon – Myanmar’s foreign contracted investments hit 16.05 billion U.S. dollars up to the end of March this year since the country opened to such investments in late 1988, according to the latest figures disclosed by the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI). (more…)

For months monitors have reported on the crackdown against stateless Rohingya refugees in south eastern Bangladesh and allegations that the Thai Navy is pushing back boatloads of them in the Andaman Sea. As Burma, Bangladesh and Thailand all gear up for elections, these practices seem more common. One fear is that anticipated changes in Burma following polling there will send more unwanted Muslim migrants to seek refuge in neighbouring states. (more…)

Washington—US senator Judd Gregg has introduced a resolution calling on US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to assess whether the Obama administration policy of engagement with the Burmese military junta has been effective in furthering US interests. (more…)

The head of the Burmese student union encouraged students across the UK to be more socially active at an event last week. (more…)

Frederick, Maryland—Sui Luai and his wife, Ni Hniang, like many in Frederick’s small but significant population of residents from Myanmar, came about nine years ago because they had a relative in town, the promise of work and a fledgling community in their local Baptist church. (more…)