Although Burma and Norway are far apart in terms of distance, geography and culture, many Burmese people feel that there is a special connection between the two countries. (more…)

The time has come for the National League for Democracy (NLD) to decide whether it should register as a legal political party under the Union Election Commission.
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Myanmar has begun to witness a series of positive changes and developments following the Hluttaw sessions gathering momentum. (more…)

FOR MANY YEARS advocates of engagement with Burma’s dictators have argued that economic sanctions, which are intended to promote democratic change in that Southeast Asian nation, could boomerang by forcing the regime into China’s welcoming arms. Even advocates of sanctions, like this page, have acknowledged the risk, since China’s Communist Party has no qualms about dealing with dictators and is hungry for Burma’s natural resources and its access to the Andaman Sea. (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…)

The release of several hundred prisoners in Myanmar last week was another token gesture from the military junta, trying to convince the world of its intention to introduce some form of democracy in the country. As welcome as the gesture is — since any move in that direction in Myanmar at this stage is almost progress — we still have to take it with a grain of salt. (more…)

THERE is some basis for scepticism surrounding Myanmar’s recent release of 300 political prisoners. The move still leaves about 2,000 behind bars. There is no assurance that it is not a shadow play to secure the 2014 Asean chairmanship. In the months ahead, hardliners in the military will also resist any form of political reform that would compromise their positions. Weary Myanmar watchers will also point out that previous reform and openings were only followed by subsequent crackdowns. (more…)

The Burmese government has released a significant number of political prisoners in the latest sign that reformers have seized the initiative. On Wednesday, between 100 and 300 political prisoners were set free as part of an amnesty covering as many as 6,000 inmates. Among them were prominent opposition leaders such as Zarganar, a comedian and commentator jailed in 2008 for criticising the then junta’s disastrous response to Cyclone Nargis. (more…)

Work on a controversial and costly dam in Northern Burma has been suspended. (more…)

The decision to halt the Myitsone dam could be a sign that, after nearly two decades of international isolation, reformists are gaining the upper hand. (more…)

IN THE UNENDING debate between engaging and isolating dictators, those favoring engagement invariably manage to discover inside autocratic regimes “reformers” whose brave efforts will be squelched if the outside world does not reward them. (more…)

It’s hard to tell what exactly is happening with our neighbours at the moment _ and academics, journalists and professional Burma-watchers seem just as bamboozled as the rest of us. Are we seeing real change under Burma’s newly “elected” civilian government, or is it the old wolf slipping seamlessly into sheep’s clothing? (more…)

President Thein Sein of the new administration of Myanmar, which has shifted to civilian control after 22 years of rule by a military junta, has launched an extensive reform drive in politics, the economy and other fields. (more…)

Apparently in response to a mounting public outcry, Burmese President Thein Sein decided to suspend work on the controversial Myitsone Dam project in Kachin State, which critics say threatens the Irrawaddy River, Burma’s lifeline and center of its cultural heritage. (more…)

Even the most unreformed of rulers like to pose as reformers. But Myanmar’s new regime has genuine reasons to persuade critics at home and abroad that it is serious about some reforms. The first ever meeting between Thein Sein, the “civilian” president, and Aung San Suu Kyi is part of the government’s strategy to project itself and the country in a new light. Ms Suu Kyi has no official standing and her party did not take part in the rigged elections that supposedly ended the military rule in Myanmar. In fact, her party, the National League for Democracy, does not even recognize the constitution which the previous military rulers imposed on the country through a fake referendum. Yet, Mr Sein not only met Ms Suu Kyi but also relaxed some of the restrictions on her political activities. The president has appealed to exiled dissidents to return home too. Besides, the government has shown more openness towards allowing representatives of foreign governments and institutions to visit Myanmar and hold talks with Ms Suu Kyi. All this is clearly aimed at winning legitimacy for a government whose democratic claims are not taken seriously by foreign powers and independent observers. After all, the new rulers are all old soldiers in civilian clothing. (more…)

IF SYMBOLS mean something, the past month has represented a change of sorts – for the better – in Myanmar’s political landscape. Last month, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (more…)

It is encouraging that Asia’s democracy icon, Aung San Suu Kyi, is optimistic about the future of Burma. But as she pointed out in her interview with a Western reporter, there is a long way to go before her countrymen gain real freedom. (more…)

In the first of a series, The Nation’s Supalak Ganjanakhundee explores whether recent developments in the country point towards a paradigm shift. (more…)

The country’s foreign minister claimed in a speech to the UN that real progress is being made, but evidence of this is thin on the ground (more…)

In its latest effort to bolster its reformist credentials, Burma’s new “civilian” government announced earlier this week that it had created a human rights commission charged with promoting and safeguarding the fundamental rights of citizens in accordance with the 2008 Constitution. (more…)