Villagers in Shan State forced to grow opium poppies
The Burmese Army is forcing villagers in southern and eastern Shan State to grow opium poppies according to the Lahu Democratic Front (LDF), an ethnic militia group operating in the area.
LDF chairman, Ailong Khammwe says poppy cultivation is increasing in eastern Shan State reports New Delhi based Mizzima News. He said, “Burmese soldiers are forcing [...]
Insurgents facing shortage of ammunition
Burma’s armed ethnic groups are facing a new problem; a shortage of ammunition. According to The Irrawaddy, armed insurgents are finding it harder to get bullets for their AK-47 assault rifles.
They quote a Karen rebel source as saying, “We stopped buying AK-47 rifles because there is nowhere to get ammunition for them.”
The Thai army now [...]
Japan to accept refugees from Burma
Japan will accept refugees from Burma for the first time starting in 2011. According to media reports around 30 refugees are to be initially resettled in the country following a recent cabinet decision to introduce the third-country resettlement program.
The refugees will come from the around 120,000 refugees remaining in nine camps along the Thai/Burma border. [...]
Nargis victims still in great need
A UN backed review of humanitarian assistance to victims of Cyclone Nargis has found that ongoing relief efforts need to be stepped up.
The comprehensive field assessment led by the Tripartite Core Group, made up of the UN, the Burmese government and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) found there are still chronic needs in food [...]
The Hmong Hilltribe: Whopper Virgins
The new Whopper Virgins advertising campaign from Burger King features the Hmong, one of Thailand’s many hilltribes, but manages to completely ignore their rich culture and history.
It seems the only thing they are interested in learning about the Hmong is do they prefer a Whopper or a Big Mac?
The concept behind Whopper Virgins is to [...]
UN seeking funds to meet health needs in Burma
The UN says it needs additional funds to meet health needs in parts of Burma affected by Cyclone Nargis in May.
Earlier this week, the UN organised a meeting in Yangon for heads of diplomatic missions, UN agencies and NGOs, followed by a visit to existing health facilities. “The past seven months’ experience of responding to [...]
19 years for reporting labour rights issue
Three people were sentenced for up to 19 years after making a report to the International Labour Organisation after a factory in Yangon cut off workers’ salaries.
The Democratic Voice of Burma reports that Kyi Myint Taing township court in Rangoon sentenced the three to between five and 19 years on Tuesday. Khin Maung Cho, a [...]
Asian legislators unite in call to Ban Ki-moon to visit Burma
Pressure is increasing on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to visit Burma by the end of this year.
241 parliamentarians from eight Asian countries have signed an open letter to Ban urging him to push for the release of all political prisoners in Burma by the end of this month.
The letter was organised by the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary [...]
Ban getting frustrated with Burma progress
Amid growing calls for him to visit Burma (See: Should he stay or should he go?), UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced his frustration with the lack of progress in the UN’s efforts to promote national reconciliation and democratization in Burma.
Speaking to the press after a meeting of the Group of Friends on Myanmar in [...]
Should he stay or should he go?
Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general says he will not visit Burma this month unless a meaningful outcome can be expected.
His comments made on Wednesday through a spokesperson, come despite an open letter from 112 former presidents and prime ministers calling for him to visit the country and push for the release of all political prisoners [...]
Detained Burmese bloggers win Cyber-dissident Award
Reporters Without Borders has jointly named Nay Phone Latt and Zarganar as winners in the Cyber-dissident category of its annual awards.
Zarganar, a popular Burmese comedian and frequent critic of the military junta has kept a blog since August 2007. Following Cyclone Nargis in May, he defied the junta by taking relief supplies to villagers hardest [...]
World leaders call for UN Secretary General to push for release of political prisoners
112 former presidents and prime minister representing 50 countries have signed an open letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, to push for the release of all political prisoners in Burma. They want Ban to travel to travel to Burma before the end of the year in order to secure the release of 2,100 political prisoners [...]
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