Civil war broke out in Kachin State with the passing of the dead line for an order by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) calling for the withdrawal of all Burmese troops deployed near KIA military camps. (more…)

Beijing – Myanmar’s military has clashed for several days with a militia controlled by the country’s ethnic Kachin minority in a remote but strategic region where China is building hydropower plants, various sources said on Tuesday.     The fighting, which began last Thursday, has killed at least four people and forced hundreds, if not thousands, to flee toward the Myanmar-China border, the sources, including a Washington-based advocacy group and Chinese media, said. (more…)

Bangkok—Unscrupulous traffickers, Burma’s economic decline and militarization, and a shortage of males caused by China’s “One Child Policy” have all combined to contribute to the trafficking of women from the Palaung region of Burma into China, says a locally based activist group. (more…)

A clash broke out between Burmese troops and Karenni soldiers in Burma’s Phayatongsu town yesterday afternoon, injuring two people, including a 33-year-old Thai merchant. (more…)

Rangoon — The US dollar has been falling steadily in Burma’s unofficial foreign exchange market since the beginning of this year, but its decline has been outpaced by that of another currency that is technically its equal—the Foreign Exchange Certificate, or FEC. (more…)

Seoul—The turning back of a North Korean ship suspected of transporting missiles and parts, the highest-profile interdiction against Pyongyang in more than a year, shows that the cat-and-mouse game over its weapons program is still on—and that it remains unclear which side is winning. (more…)

Warfare has continued for two straight days between the Burmese Army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) at Sang Gang position. The post is in N’mawk (Momauk) Township, in Manmaw (Bhamo) District of Kachin State, northern Burma, Kachin News Group [KNG] said. (more…)

Chiang Mai – An apparent relaxation of media regulations suggests that Myanmar’s once watertight censorship board has in recent months undergone something of a change of heart. (more…)

The Ethnic Nationalities Council (ENC) 6th Congress, held on the Thai-Burma border, ended on Saturday. About 40 delegates and special guests attended the congress. Mizzima interviewed ENC spokesman Dr. Sui Kher about the role of the congress and current political issues. (more…)

The former General Secretary of the National League for Democracy in Myanmar appeals to the ILO to expand its activities in Myanmar. (more…)