Chairman of newly formed Myanmar (Burma) Tourism Board said the country’s tourism facilities currently can only provide services to 300,000 tourists.
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Yangon– When Thida Win contracted HIV after selling her body on the Yangon streets, it was her fellow sex workers that she turned to, not Myanmar’s crumbling health service. (more…)

It is easy to miss the spirit gate that guards the entrance to Phiyer, a remote village in northern Laos. Half submerged in weeds beside a field of towering sugarcane, the simple wooden structure resembles a set of miniature rustic goalposts. Look closely, however, and you will notice it is strung with roughly carved swords and assault rifles made of bamboo. The villagers believe the gate wards off disease and evil spirits. (more…)

Bangkok – The United Nations’ human rights envoy to Myanmar said Monday that the country’s nascent civilian government has done little to address widespread abuses, including forced labor and extrajudicial killings, since replacing the ruling junta in March.
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A United Nations human rights expert on Myanmar said today that the continued treatment and condition of ethnic minority groups in the country’s border areas presents was seriously restricting the Government’s intended transition to democracy. (more…)

In 2002, Saytoktaya Township farmlands were illegally occupied so that the government could build a military service factory. Fields and crops were bulldozed and no compensation was given. (more…)

Bangkok – Protesting the Burmese government’s one-year commutation of prison sentences, female political prisoners are on a hunger strike in Insein Prison in Rangoon, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) (AAPP-B). (more…)

Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro says the government hopes to sell Indonesian-made SS-2 assault rifles to Myanmar. (more…)

Phiyer – It is easy to miss the spirit gate that guards the entrance to Phiyer, a remote village in northern Laos. Half submerged in weeds beside a field of towering sugarcane, the simple wooden structure resembles a set of miniature rustic goalposts. Look closely, however, and you will notice it is strung with roughly carved swords and assault rifles made of bamboo. The villagers believe the gate wards off disease and evil spirits. (more…)

Puncak, West Java – Asylum seekers in Indonesia are well aware of the federal government’s plan to send boat people to Malaysia and now say they will not attempt the sea crossing to Australia. (more…)

A non-proliferation expert remained skeptical about the probability that North Korea will easily find a potential country interested in importing its enriched uranium technology. (more…)

Yangon — A senior US diplomat expressed concern to Myanmar’s new army-backed government about the country’s military ties with North Korea, the US embassy in Yangon said Friday. (more…)

Chiang Mai – The Press Trust of India (PTI) reported Friday that Aung San Suu Kyi’s desire for a full-time Burma envoy was raised during a Burma briefing at the UN Security Council this week. (more…)

Interview with Dr. Aye Maung, Chairman of the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP) (more…)

Yangon – A senior US State Department official told Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Thursday that the United States was pushing for ‘significant developments’ in military-ruled Myanmar. (more…)

Burma’s democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi told reporters on Thursday evening that she will soon travel to areas outside Rangoon to campaign on behalf of her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD). (more…)

The Kachin Independence Army has put its troops on high alert as Burmese government plans to build a road close to its territory threaten to spark fighting. (more…)

Freedom remains at a stretch for hundreds of inmates released on Tuesday from Burma’s remote border prisons, with many left stranded hundreds of miles from their homes. (more…)

As Myanmar’s isolation eases, Karen who fled worry they may be forced to return. (more…)

PTTEP International Ltd, a subsidiary of PTT Exploration and Production Plc (PTTEP), reported the successful exploration in Burma with the finding of gas in Aung Singkha 2 well. (more…)