Military-ruled Myanmar has enacted a law that could draft men and women into the armed forces and mete out prison sentences of up to five years for draft dodgers, according to an official document seen Monday. The country currently has a volunteer army. (more…)

Yangon – Myanmar’s newly elected chambers of parliament are to hold their first session on January 31 to begin the process of selecting a new president, state media said Monday. (more…)

The families of three men tortured and jailed last year are taking an appeal over their sentences to Burma’s Supreme Court. (more…)

Persecuted refugees are being held in jail and denied help, writes Shaikh Azizur Rahman. (more…)

Thai authorities have raised border security after some artillery shells fired by Burmese troops during two days of clashes with a splinter group of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) exploded near a village in Thailand’s Mae Sot District. (more…)

The Department of Special Investigation has impounded 75 million baht worth of smuggled timber in a racket they believe is backed by national politicians and state officials. (more…)

Chiang Mai – During the past six months, the number of clothing factories in Burma has increased from about 120 factories to more than 200, according to Burma’s Clothing Manufacturers’ Association. (more…)

Yangon — The UNAIDS will extend supply of anti-retroviral (ARV) drug for Myanmar HIV victims up to 2015 under a joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, local media reported Saturday. (more…)

Manila, Philippines – Aung San Suu Kyi believes that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) would play a vital role in restoring democratic institutions in her country, according to Sen. Loren Legarda. (more…)

Dhaka – Bangladesh will fight to establish its claim to 400 nautical miles of territorial waters in the Bay of Bengal disputed by neighbouring India and Myanmar, officials said Sunday. (more…)

A Burmese student army that rose to prominence following the 1988 uprising has been removed from a list of organisations deemed terrorists by the US government in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. (more…)

It was one of the most exhilarating moments of 2010: On Nov. 13, Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi emerged after seven years of house arrest in Rangoon and addressed thousands of adoring supporters. To many in the West, that sight seemed to signal that one of the world’s most intransigent military dictatorships was headed for a sea change. (more…)

Both the democracy movement and the junta are taking stock of the new political climate in Myanmar following elections and the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. (more…)