A political activist freed from jail during an amnesty earlier this month has said he will be filing a complaint to a newly-framed human rights body alleging physical abuse at the hands of senior prison officials. (more…)

Yangon, Myanmar – The United States’ special envoy to Myanmar has ended a visit without revealing details of meetings with officials and democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. (more…)

Chiang Mai – An MP from Burma’s ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party put forward a motion in the Upper House on Tuesday suggesting a prohibition on Buddhist monks’ “rights to peacefully assemble and march” in a procession, effectively banning their involvement in demonstrations, according to Upper House MPs. (more…)

New Delhi – Prominent Burmese comedian Zarganar on Monday, accompanied by comedians Godzilla, Sein Thee and Zee Thee, visited three prisons, donating food, medicine, money and magazines to prison authorities for political prisoners. (more…)

Burmese migrant workers escaping Thailand’s worst floods in decades have been seized by the Thai authorities due to problems with their working address or legal status. (more…)

Opium production and drug addiction have dramatically increased in the Namkham area of northern Shan State since the election of a local warlord in last year’s general election, according to a new report by the Thailand-based Palaung Women’s Organization (PWO). (more…)

Arab Spring uprisings have inspired repression in many countries as well as protests, international rights investigators said Monday. (more…)

Ann Arbor, Mich – The University of Michigan is honoring a human-rights activist in Myanmar with the Wallenberg Medal, an award named for the Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Jews during World War II. (more…)

They have decided to change. It’s not what we called for, but there are changes. Even if they are pretending to change, we should push them so the change becomes irreversible. If we keep saying that ‘you haven’t changed the way we want’ and put obstacles in the way, then the changes will never come.” (more…)

Jakarta – By the end of this month, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa will travel to Myanmar to assess the situation and developments in the country since last year’s general elections. (more…)

Bangkok – An alliance of humanitarian agencies working with displaced persons from Burma/Myanmar believes the current window of democratic reform is the best opportunity in decades to resolve ethnic conflict. The prospect of a genuine and inclusive process of national reconciliation bringing an end to decades of war and displacement needs to be promoted and realised. (more…)

A new briefing paper by the Palaung Women’s Organization (PWO) exposes a dramatic increase in opium cultivation in Burma’s northern Shan State in the constituency of a drug lord elected into the new military-backed parliament. (more…)

‘’We can see the way clear ahead more than we have ever been able to.’ (more…)

“We all were arrested for our consciousness and for our beliefs. The whole world, the whole country and including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi have asked to release the political prisoners. They selectively released us. There are many prisoners left in the prisons, including ill people and the aged and hospitalized. They must be released…. All political prisoners deserve to be free.” – Su Su Nway, labor activist and former political prisoner (Mizzima News)

Yangon, Myanmar — The United States’ special envoy to Myanmar began his second visit in less than two months on Monday amid hope that the country’s new government is serious about political reform. (more…)

Officials in the flood-hit town of Pakokku in Burma say 215 people have been confirmed dead, but locals there warn the eventual figure could reach 300 once missing persons are accounted for. (more…)

“OH, please let me go to heaven!” (more…)

WILL the National League for Democracy re-register as political party? That’s the question on many people’s lips following several months of dialogue between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the government. (more…)

THE death of Moamer Kadhafi, a man who instilled fear and hatred during his 42-year reign, sparked wild celebrations in Libya last week, while world leaders welcomed the end of a tyrant. (more…)

Nine Chinese women were gang-raped and killed by Burma Army soldiers during its offensive against the Kachin Independence Army in Northern Shan State, witnesses said. (more…)