Heavy snowfall in northern Kachin State on Sunday caused the collapse of several buildings belonging to a customs office in the Panwa Valley, near the border with China, according to local residents. (more…)

Eight Thais from Tak’s Phop Phra district were arrested by Burmese soldiers after the villagers crossed the border on Wednesday morning. (more…)

Two children have been hospitalised in eastern Burma with bullet wounds sustained whilst fleeing fighting in Karen state. (more…)

Phnom Penh – Cambodia and Myanmar have agreed to begin direct flights in a bid to boost tourism, local media reported Wednesday. (more…)

Three Burmese migrant workers in Malaysia have been deported and an additional two have gone missing after requesting that their employers uphold contractual obligations over payment. (more…)

Bangkok – While floods and droughts are often highlighted in the media for devastating the world’s rice production, a lesser-known culprit has been able to scurry away without being fingered for causing damage – rats. (more…)

Bangkok — A human rights group says a survey it conducted reveals flagrant and widespread abuses by Myanmar’s army, and could be used as evidence to prosecute the country’s military rulers for crimes against humanity. (more…)

Washington — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is pledging to work with Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to promote democracy in Myanmar. (more…)

Bangkok – The International Labor Organization (ILO) says it is encouraged by proposed legislation in Burma to allow greater freedom for labor unions, but remains concerned about the use of forced child labor in the military and private sector. (more…)

For years, critics of Western sanctions against Burma’s ruling regime have accused supporters of the country’s opposition of obsessing about the fate of Aung San Suu Kyi. Now, however, it seems the shoe is on the other foot, as those same critics argue that Suu Kyi’s release late last year was such a momentous event that it warrants ending sanctions once and for all. (more…)

Karen-Burmese author/activist Zoya Phan worries that an ascendant Aung San Suu Kyi might get assassinated, chides nostalgia for pre-colonial Burma, where minorities were oppressed, and calls sanctions busters naive or stupid. This interview was conducted in late November and early December by email. (more…)

Nearly 92 Percent of Chin Families Subjected to Forced Labor in One Year (more…)