In a recent case that encapsulates the corrupt state of play in Burma’s courts today, Than Oo and four other farmers were returning home by motorbike late on the evening on March 21 when they were stopped at the entrance to their village in Magwe Region of central Burma by a mob of about 20 construction workers from the site of a chemical factory. (more…)

Burmese army commanders have been ordered to embark on a seemingly rapacious recruitment drive that will see more than 25,000 troops added to its already formidable manpower each year. (more…)

A column of Burmese soldiers have reportedly reached a village close to the headquarters of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in a sign that the group’s grip on its territory in northern Burma may be weakening. (more…)

A Burmese Army deputy battalion commander and three troops were killed today during morning fighting with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Manje Township, in Manmaw District, in Kachin State, northern Burma, KIA officials said. (more…)

Chiang Mai– Artillery attacks by Burmese government troops moved close to Myawaddy on the Thai-Burmese border as they fired heavy weapons into the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) area in Karen State on Tuesday and Wednesday. (more…)

Chiang Mai– Thailand currently has more than 1.45 million legal Burmese migrant workers, but an estimated 500,000 illegal Burmese workers did not register for work permits in the recent round that has just concluded, according to experts. (more…)

Yangon, Myanmar — The main commuter rail service providing cheap transport in Myanmar’s biggest city is to be privatized, according to a notice published Thursday. (more…)

Rangoon—Although Burma’s new government led by ex-Gen Thein Sein has reduced the country’s export tax from 10 to 7 percent, the measure is unlikely to help Burmese exporters as long as the kyat continues to rise in value, according to business sources. (more…)

Bali, Indonesia — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and top diplomats from Europe and Asia gather over the weekend to discuss recent flare-ups in the South China Sea, North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and other issues that threaten to undermine regional security. (more…)

It seems that ASEAN continues to place faith in Myanmar despite allegations that the reclusive country is developing nuclear weapons, without any attempts to verify the allegations. (more…)

Bangkok — In a meeting with Scott Marciel, the then-US ambassador for Asean Affairs and current ambassador to Indonesia, Cambodia’s Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said “that the Burmese FM told the Cambodian ambassador recently that elections will be held in May 2010 and that 10 political parties, including Aung San Suu Kyi’s, would be allowed participate.” (more…)

Washington—The US House of Representative renewed its sanctions on Burma by another year on Wednesday, the same day that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on India to use its good relationship with the Burmese military rulers to push for a genuine democracy in the Southeast Asian country. (more…)

The US House of Representatives on Wednesday approved renewal of sanctions on Burma first passed in 2003 in response to alleged rights violations and failure to adopt democratic reforms.
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According to Voice of America,  on 19th July,  Maj Gen Aung Than Tut, Director of Bureau of Special Operations #2 which oversees all Burma Army units in Shan State, was said to have given inhumane instruction to his troops in  Murng Nawng, Shan State, to kill all males and rape all females during their operation against the Shan State Army (SSA). (more…)

The fighting between Burma’s armed forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) increased soon after the Kachin people abandoned new ceasefire talks with the government at Laiza on July 12 and 13.
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