Kachin Christmas celebrations disturbed by local authorities
A Christmas Eve concert by Christians from Burma’s Kachin ethnic group was disrupted when local police seized motorcycles belonging to 80 concertgoers reports the Kachin News Group (KNG).
The concert attracted several hundred church members as part of a three day Christmas celebration. Also attending were members of smaller churches in the area.
The police were looking [...]
Ethnic armies preparing for chemical attack
Two armed ceasefire groups in Burma’s northern Shan State are reported to be preparing for a chemical attack by the Burma Army. The Shan Herald Agency for News (SHN) reports that the United Wa State Army and the Mongla, National Democratic Alliance Army are purchasing thousands of protective suits.
SHAN quotes sources close to the two [...]
Migrant workers in violent protest at Mae Sot factory
A protest by migrant workers at a factory in Mae Sot turned violent at the weekend; with the protestors setting fire to the factory owner’s car reports the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB).
The protest began after factory security guards assaulted two Burmese nationals, who had arrived to collect their sister.
One of the men was hospitalised, [...]
Burma Campaign UK hit by staff shortage
The Burma Campaign UK (BCUK) has had to call off an investigation in to international law firms operating in Burma due to a shortage of staff.
The investigation was launched late last year; with plans to this year add the names of law firms to the so-called ‘dirty list’ for the first time. At the time, [...]
KNU rejects junta’s bomb claims
The Karen National Union (KNU) has rejected claims by Burma’s ruling military junta, that it was responsible for a bomb that killed seven people on Wednesday.
Ten men and one woman were also injured by the blast in Papun near the Thai border according to the state controlled New Light of Myanmar.
The newspaper reported that the [...]
International Community needs to focus on Burma’s ethnic conflicts
Refugees International (RI) says countries looking to engage with Burma’s ruling military junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) need to make resolving the country’s ethnic conflicts a priority. RI has been working with Holland’s Transnational Institute to raise awareness of the subject among policy makers in Washington.
In an article on their web site, [...]
Credit Suisse agrees to pay US$536 million settlement for sanctions violations
Credit Suisse Group has reached a settlement worth US$536 million with the New York County District Attorney’s Office and the United States Department of Justice over claims that it helped clients in Iran, Burma, Libya, Sudan and Cuba conduct financial transactions in violation of US sanctions.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Credit Suisse was one [...]
Stiglitz wants Burma to once again be the rice bowl of Asia.
Nobel Prize winning economist Professor Joseph Stiglitz says Burma is well positioned to learn from other countries in the region that have developed economically following improvements in agriculture.
Stiglitz is in Burma at the invitation of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). He has been discussing strategies for Burma to [...]
Preparing for war, Wa gets reinforcements from China
With tensions still high between the Burmese military and armed ethnic groups in Shan State, near the Sino-Burma border, the United Wa State Army (UWSA) has recently been boosted by the arrival of several thousand Chinese veterans of the Vietnam war.
According to the Kachin News Group (KNG), about 15,000 military personnel crossed the border recently [...]
Ethnic conflicts fuelling increase in Burma’s opium cultivation
The United Nations says opium cultivation in Burma increased last year for the third year in succession. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the number of hectares used for growing opium poppies increased by eleven percent, a total of almost 50 percent since 2006.
95 percent of Burma’s opium crop is coming [...]
Prayer of Peace
Prayer of Peace is a new documentary film from Matt Blauer on the life of Karen villagers and IDPs (Internally Displaced People) inside Burma’s war zones. Its quite long, but I recommend taking the time to watch it. And, please share this with others and help to get the word out about what is happening [...]
Refugees International calls for international assistance for Chin refugees in India
US based advocacy group Refugees International (RI) says the international community along with the UNHCR needs to do more for refugees from Burma’s Chin ethnic group in India.
There are estimated to be between 50,000 and 100,000 predominantly Chin refugees in Northeast India, along the border with Burma and thousands more in New Delhi.
However, India is [...]
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Mae Sot weather
