Yangon – Myanmar may soon release hundreds more political detainees, a senior government official said on Wednesday, a week after about 200 dissidents were freed in an amnesty welcomed by the West as a step towards reform. (more…)

A human rights activist jailed in 2007 after he was assaulted by a mob alleged to belong to the former junta’s so-called “civic” organisation, the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), says he will file a lawsuit against the perpetrators. (more…)

New Delhi – “The location of a person is not important, only the doctrine the person embraces is important.” That’s the 49th birthday message of 88-generation student leader Min Ko Naing, who is serving a 65-year prison term in Kengtung Prison.  (more…)

Evidence from surveys carried out among the ethnic Rohingya population of northern Arakan state suggest that contrary to pledges made by the new Burmese government, forced labour has not abated. (more…)

Beijing – Chinese police have arrested 17 people for running guns into ethnically Tibetan parts of the country from northern Myanmar, and have seized a small number of guns and bullets, state media said on Wednesday. (more…)

Aizawl, India – Ral Hnin does not want to draw attention to himself, mindful that his status as a political dissident from Myanmar is an uneasy subject for his reluctant hosts in this remote hilly fringe of northeast India. (more…)

A delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) arrived in Burma’s capital, Naypyidaw, on Wednesday to meet with government officials for consultations on reforming the country’s dual exchange rate system. (more…)

New Delhi – British-era buildings as hotels? Khin Shwe, the chairman of the Myanmar Tourism Board (MTB), says Burma needs more hotels and old Colonial-era government buildings might make good conversion projects for businessmen. (more…)

A regional rights group, the Asean Inter-parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC), on Tuesday called on Indonesia, the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), to delay making a decision on whether to support Burma’s bid to chair the regional bloc in 2014 until Naypyidaw makes genuine progress toward democratic reform. (more…)

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — Malaysia’s leading rights group criticized a government proposal to send some detainees from Myanmar home, saying Wednesday that their lives could be in danger in the military-dominated country. (more…)

In the lead-up to the next Asean Summit in Bali next month and the upcoming UN General Assembly Resolution on human rights in Burma, the regime in Rangoon has been trying to win over the international community by taking some very calculated steps. (more…)

The United States hopes this recent release is only the beginning of a time-bound process that results in the unconditional release of all political prisoners. (more…)

Chiang Mai – Recent developments in Myanmar, including talks between new President Thein Sein and pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, a relaxation of media censorship and the release of some political prisoners, have stunned many foreign observers and sparked speculation that the historically military-run country is on the verge of a new era of democracy and openness. (more…)