Junta accused of human rights violations for obstructing Nargis relief
A new report is calling for Burma’s ruling military junta to be referred to the International Criminal Court for obstructing relief to victims of Cyclone Nargis in May, which it says may amount to crimes against humanity.
The report, ‘After the Storm: Voices from the Delta’ was prepared by the Center for Public Health and Human [...]
Nay Phone Latt’s sentence reduced
Jailed Burmese blogger, Nay Phone Latt has had his sentence reduced from 20 years and six months to 12 years reports The Irrawaddy.
They quote his lawyer as saying she learnt today that after a two-month appeal, two of the prison terms imposed by a special court inside the notorious Insein Prison had been reduced.
Nay Phone [...]
Insurance payout for families of migrants suffocated in refrigerated van
Liberty Insurance, a Thai life insurance company has begun paying compensation for a group of Burmese migrant workers who were suffocated to death in the back of a refrigerated container lorry in April 2008.
Mizzima News reports Liberty paid 35,000 Thai Baht (US$ 979) to the families of 37 of the victims.
The victims were among a [...]
Mae Tao Clinic: 20 years old today
On February 19 1989, Mae Tao Clinic was established in Mae Sot to provide healthcare to the Burmese refugee and migrant population along the border. Founded by Dr Cynthia Maung and five others, the clinic now has an international reputation.
Dr Cynthia herself has received numerous humanitarian awards, including in 2002, the Ramon Magsaysay Award for [...]
Has the UN forgotten there are two sides in Burma’s civil war?
Troops from the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), a Karen splinter group that has aligned itself with the junta, raided and burned down a Karen village last week reports the Democratic Voice of Burma.
They quote villagers as saying troops from the DKBA’s battalion 999 raided Koe Hta village last Wednesday. The raid on the village [...]
Burma cleans up prisons ahead of UN envoy’s visits
Some of Burma’s most notorious prisons holding political prisoners have been getting a makeover ahead of the visit by the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana.
According to reports by exiled media groups, prison authorities across the country have been spring-cleaning, supplying new uniforms and feeding prisoners better meals before the [...]
Junta claims KNU fired shells at Myawaddy
Burma’s ruling military junta says insurgents from the Karen National Union (KNU) fired heavy weapons at the town of Myawaddy on the Thai border early Saturday.
According to the state controlled New Light of Myanmar newspaper, two shells landed about seven miles southwest of the town. One landed near a hotel and another fell into a [...]
Thai PM confirms Rohingya were forced out to sea
Embedded video from <a href=”http://www.cnn.com/video” mce_href=”http://www.cnn.com/video”>CNN Video</a>
Thailand’s prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, has admitted in an interview with CNN that Thai authorities had in some instances pushed Rohingya boat people out to sea.
He said he could not pinpoint who had approved the practice, but said he was working on rectifying the problem.
In recent weeks, reports have [...]
Activists appear in court, but their lawyers are not allowed in
In the latest round of the Burmese military junta’s sham trials, ten activists arrested for helping victims of Cyclone Nargis have appeared in court inside Insein prison.
However, the Democratic Voice of Burma reports the Special Branch barred their lawyers from entering the court.
The accused, Phyo Phyo Aung, her father Dr Ne Win, Shein Yarzar, Aung [...]
Thailand upset by Jolie’s comments
The Thai government is upset about comments actress Angelina Jolie made regarding Thailand’s treatment of Rohingya boat people during a recent visit to a refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border (see: At last, a celebrity with something to say).
Jolie visited Ban Mai Nai Soi camp last week in her role as a goodwill ambassador for [...]
$700 million needed for Nargis recovery
The Tripartite Core Group (TCG), made up of the Burmese government, ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and the UN, says it needs US$691 million over the next three years to cover recovery efforts following Cyclone Nargis, which struck the Irrawaddy Delta region of Burma in May.
The money covers the transition from relief and early [...]
At last, a celebrity with something to say
Angelina Jolie is in Thailand visiting the border camps housing refugees from Burma in her capacity as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UNHCR. On Wednesday, she visited Ban Mai Nai Soi camp in Mae Hong Son province, a few hours drive from Mae Sot.
The camp houses 18,111 Karenni refugees. And Jolie spent time talking to [...]
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