The Chin National Front (CNF) and a government peace team have agreed to 27 points from a 33-point plan presented by the armed group during talks last weekend. (more…)

More fighting between the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA)  and Burma army in Northern Shan State is expected, according to TNLA spokesperson Major Tar Phonn Kyaw. (more…)

A former Buddhist monk Shin Gambira, who had been one of the top leaders of the 2007 popular uprising “saffron revolution” in Myanmar, has been jailed again, triggering international concerns. (more…)

The Assembly of the Union, or Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, published its “Population and Housing Census Bill” via state-run media on December 9, 2012. (more…)

Myanmar’s government has apologised for injuries, including serious burns, suffered last month by monks and others when riot police cleared camps set up to protest against evictions caused by the expansion of a copper mine. (more…)

Monks took to the streets in Burma’s former capital on Saturday to show solidarity with fellow monks who were injured during a crackdown on protests late last month and to demand an apology from the country’s president. (more…)

Amid media reports of ‘Rohingya genocide’ and calls for better UN access to Arakan State, the Burmese government on Saturday defended its handling of violence between Rohingya Muslim and Arakan Buddhists, saying the communal strife was a consequence of “underdevelopment” and a lack of international aid. (more…)

The Irrawaddy magazine comes to Burma for the first time with a brand new issue hitting shelves in Rangoon this week. (more…)

Natmauk Township – San Suu Kyi made a visit to her father Gen Aung San’s birthplace, Natmauk Township in Magwe Division, on Saturday to mark National Day. It was the first time in decades that she was able to visit her ancestral home and she was welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd of several thousand people, eager to get a glimpse of the opposition leader. (more…)

Villagers at a public meeting attended by government ministers, political organisations, community groups and developers called for new impact assessments to be carried out on the Dawei Special Economic Zone. (more…)

Thai and Myanmar officials will meet on Friday to discuss the development of the Dawei special economic zone, said Transport Minister Chadchat Sittipunt. (more…)

The signing of a contract on the Dawei development project has been delayed while Myanmar awaits details of the joint development plan from Thailand. (more…)

The international expansion of Woodside Petroleum under chief executive Peter Coleman has continued, with the company yesterday confirming it had picked up a second exploration permit off the coast of Myanmar. (more…)

China’s ambassador to Myanmar has said his country will accept the decision of the Letpadaung Investigation Commission provided its report is balanced and accurate but warned that halting the controversial mine project will harm Myanmar’s image with foreign investors. (more…)

United Nations humanitarian chief Ashok Nigam called again for unrestricted access to Rakhine State for the various UN agencies, and urged reconciliation between the Buddhist Rakhine and Muslim Rohingya communities. (more…)

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is to implement a three-year new program in Burma providing US $144 million for various projects, many of which are scheduled to be initiated in rural and border areas, state-run media reported on Friday.

The UN agency will coordinate its activities through the Ministry of Border Affairs, said its Deputy Minister Zaw Win.

Mizzima reported in October that the three-year plan is to be carried out in Kachin, Karen, Chin, Rakhine and Shan states, regions which are the location of Burma’s longest ongoing ethnic armed movements and among the poorest areas of the country.

The three main tasks will include eliminating extreme poverty and hunger by 2015, ensuring environmental sustainability, which is one of the UN Millennium Development Goals, and promotion of democracy and human rights through good governance.

Link: http://mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/8536-undp-confirms-3-year-plan-for-rural-burma.html

President Thein Sein is being honoured by the International Crisis Centre Group (ICCG) at its annual “In Pursuit of Peace, Prosperity and the Presidency Award” dinner to be held in New York on 22 April 2013. This award is given to recognise and “celebrate inspirational figures whose visionary leadership has transformed the lives of millions and brought forth the promise of a world free of conflict”. (more…)