Yangon – Myanmar President Thein Sein has removed two deputy ministers with economically important portfolios in the first significant changes to his quasi-civilian government since it took office 15 months ago, reinforcing speculation a broader cabinet reshuffle to push reforms may be in the works. (more…)

YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Wednesday her activities on a recent trip to Thailand gave no cause for anyone to be unhappy, dismissing speculation her high-profile visit annoyed the government. (more…)

Burmese state media has issued a retraction for the use of racially offensive language in its official appeal for calm after sectarian violence saw ten Muslims brutally killed by an angry mob on Sunday in Arakan state. (more…)

BOB Carr flew into Burma last night to tackle the delicate task of assessing when Australia should further ease sanctions imposed on the ruling junta. (more…)

Aung San Suu Kyi’s recent warning that investors should retain “healthy skepticism” in dealing with Myanmar continues to make waves inside the country. (more…)

Employees of the Hi Mo High Art wig factory and five other factories in Rangoon’s Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone returned to work on Wednesday after reaching an agreement with management late Tuesday night. (more…)

Burma remains the world’s second largest opium poppy grower after Afghanistan, accounting for 23 per cent of opium poppy cultivation worldwide in 2011. (more…)

Thailand’s relationship with Myanmar has not been affected by democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi’s visit, says Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul. (more…)

Seoul: South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak Wednesday urged North Korea to learn from recent political reforms in Myanmar and end decades of isolation. (more…)

Aung San Suu Kyi is the focal point of a tit-for-tat squabble in Britain’s Parliament prior to her official visit and speech to Parliament starting on June 21. (more…)

Economic development without political protections will damage the fragile human rights situation. (more…)

Myanmar could be a development success story, or a disaster. Aung San Suu Kyi, newly inaugurated into the country’s parliament, warned on June 1 that optimism in its prospects should be balanced by “healthy skepticism”. But 50 years in isolation at least mean Myanmar has a chance to learn from its neighbours’ mistakes. From corruption to currency, it can get right what other Asian nations got so wrong. (more…)

There is an idea that Burma’s economy will be invigorated and the Burmese made rich by the simple lifting of state control over large swathes of the economy but just as Aung San Suu Kyi voiced concerns at the World Economic Forum in Bangkok recently so too is the long term efficacy of such a policy questioned by economists. (more…)

Yangon – Myanmar’s most famous comedian, Zarganar, was jailed in 2008 for 59 years after criticising the then military junta for its slow response to Cyclone Nargis. (more…)