Kokang rebels surrender arms to the Chinese
The Sino-Burmese border was reported to be quiet today after several days of clashes between the Burmese Army and armed ethnic groups.
According to The Irrawaddy, about 700 ethnic Kokang rebels surrounded their weapons to Chinese officials yesterday.
Tensions had begun to rise in the area after the government moved several hundred troops into the area to [...]
Chinese soldier reported killed by stray shell as clashes in Shan State spread
Fighting in Burma’s northern Shan State intensified today, as the United Wa State Army (UWSA) joined it allies, in the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) the main Kokang resistance group in clashes with the Burmese Army.
Tensions along the Chinese-Burma border in Shan State have been rising in recent weeks as the State Peace and [...]
Exodus to China reaches 10,000
As many as 10,000 people have now crossed the Sino-Burmese border into China reports the Democratic Voice of Burma. They are fleeing the standoff between Burma’s ruling military junta and ethnic Kokang resistance groups (see: Ethnic Kolang flee to China).
Measnwhile. The Shan Herald Agency for News reports the Kolang capital of Laogai is now under [...]
Ethnic Kokang flee to China
Members of the Kokang ethnic group in Northern Shan State have fled across the Sino-Burma border to China’s Mansan Township to escape rising tensions reports the Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN).
SHAN reports almost all residents of the city of Laogai fled on Monday after an announcement from Kokang leaders warned people to be prepared.
“People [...]
Offensive against KNLA Brigade 5 planned for next month
Following the successful offensive against the Karen National Liberation Army’s 7th Brigade, a joint force of Burmese Army and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) troops is planning to launch an offensive against the KNLA’s Brigade 5 in northern Karen State, to the west of Brigade 7.
According to The Irrawaddy, they are targeting Brigade 5 and [...]
AH1N1 virus confirmed in Mae La refugee camp
Medical workers in Mae La refugee camp have confirmed the AH1N1 virus has been found in the camp, which houses around 50,000 mostly Karen refugees from Burma.
The Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) is reporting the virus that has already claimed over 1400 lives worldwide has infected four children in the camp.
DVB quotes Saw Nay Hser, [...]
ASEAN expresses disappointment at Suu Kyi’s sentence
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has taken the rare step of speaking out on the internal affairs of one of its member states. Thailand, which currently holds the bloc’s chair said in a statement that it was deeply disappointed to learn that Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi had been sentenced to [...]
UN Security Council holds emergency session following Suu Kyi verdict
Aung San Suu Kyi’s guilty verdict prompted an emergency closed-door session of the United Nation’s Security Council on Tuesday afternoon. The meeting was called by France, which said it planned to push for a statement and a public session.
The session ended without a statement, with media reports suggesting China and Russia had tried to water [...]
Suu Kyi verdict draws widespread criticism
Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was today sentenced to three years after being found guilty of violating the terms of her house arrest. The sentence was immediately reduced to 18 months of house arrest.
Suu Kyi was arrested after American John Yettaw, swam across Inya Lake to make an uninvited visit to Suu Kyi’s [...]
SPDC launches new cyber attack
The Mizzima News Agency is reporting its Burmese language web site was the target of a cyber attack over the weekend.
The attack coincides with the 21st anniversary of nationwide popular protests against military rule. The military junta violently crushed the protests, which ended with over 3,000 people believed to have been killed.
Mizzima quotes its webmaster, [...]
US Senator Jim Webb to visit Burma
Jim Webb, the US Senator for Virginia will become the first member of the US Congress to visit Burma in over ten years when he arrives in the country on Sunday.
The Democrat chairs the East Asia and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The visit is part of a two-week, five-nation tour [...]
KNU calls for Thailand to pull out of Salween Dam projects
The Karen national Union (KNU) is warning construction of the Hat Gyi Dam on the Salween River will cause huge environmental damage and human rights abuses.
The Irrawaddy is reporting that the KNU has written to the Thai government asking them to halt their involvement in the dam. They quote KNU vice chairman, David Takapaw as [...]
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