UN human rights experts call for fair retrials for Burmese activists

Five leading UN experts on human rights are demanding that dozens of Burmese recently sentenced to lengthy prison terms be given fair and open retrials.
Tomas Ojea Quintana the Special Rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar; Leandro Despouy, Special Rapporteur for the independence of judges and lawyers; Frank La Rue, Special Rapporteur for freedom of opinion [...]

China, Burma in $2.5 billion pipeline deal

China and Burma are to build an oil and gas pipeline connecting the Bay of Bengal and the Chinese city of Kunming. Thee deal is worth US$2.5 billion according to media reports.
Bloomberg is quoting the Nikkei newspaper as saying China National Petroleum Corp will own 50.9 percent of the project, and will manage the pipeline. [...]

Clearing the decks

By now it should be obvious to everyone that the roadmap to democracy put forward by Burma’s military junta is a sham.
The junta are clearly not interested in returning the country to full democracy. Nor are they interested in relinquishing power and letting the people decide their own future.
The new constitution, which is at the [...]

Jailed poet forcibly injected with HIV

Aung Than, a poet and member of the opposition National League for Democracy was infected with the HIV virus after being forcibly injected while in Insein prison says Reporters Without Borders.
In a statement issued jointly with the Burma Media Association, they cite Aung’s friends and family, including his mother, who says he is in a [...]

Severe sentences handed down to activists

Several activists involved in last year’s popular protests against Burma’s ruling military junta were given harsh prison sentences yesterday. Among them were 14 members of the 88 Generation Students group, who were sentenced to 65 years each.
The protests began as small-scale protests against fuel price rises, but quickly snowballed into large scale pro-democracy protests, led [...]

Bush names senior Asia advisor as special representative for Burma

Michael Green
The White House has announced President George W. Bush will nominate Michael Green as Special Representative and Policy Coordinator for Burma, a position which carries the rank of Ambassador.
The position was created under the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE (the Junta’s Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act, which was signed into law by President Bush on [...]

Burma facing UN resolution

A UN resolution highly critical of the Burmese government is to go before the General Assembly, with a vote expected in December.
According to The Irrawaddy, 43 nations voted to put the resolution before the General Assembly, including Australia, Germany, the UK and the US.
The resolution urges full respect for human rights and the restoration of [...]

Two thousand Karen villagers displaced by Burma army

Almost two thousand villagers in western Karen state have been forced to flee their homes after attacks by the Burma army in central Mon Township, during which homes were destroyed and looted.  According to the Free Burma Rangers (FBR), 1,971 people are now in hiding, in two groups to the north and south of the [...]

Burmese welcome Obama’s election victory

About 600 mostly young Burmese gathered Wednesday morning at the US embassy in Rangoon. According to The Irrawaddy, the crowd packed into the embassy’s American Center, where the election coverage was being shown on satellite TV.
Many of those present, welcomed Obama’s victory. Many said they expected him to bring change.
Meanwhile, veteran opposition politician Win Tin [...]

Six months after Nargis, continued support still needed

Six months after Cyclone Nargis wreaked havoc on the Irrawaddy Delta, continued support is still needed to help survivors.
According to Bishow Parajuli, the UN’s Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator there are still urgent needs, such as the need to prevent water scarcity. He said, “Increased support is required to restore livelihoods and provide sustainable shelter.”
The UN’s Revised Flash [...]

International community criticized for silence on Burma army attacks

In the last two days the Burma army supported by troops from the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) have attacked Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) bases in Kler Law Seh in Karen State’s Doo Pla Ya District. According to the Burma Campaign UK, KNLA forces have withdrawn from the area and hundreds of villagers have [...]

KNU prepared for major offensive by Burma army

The Burmese junta is planning a major offensive against the Karen National Union (KNU) reports the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB). Quoting a source close to the military, DVB says a leaked report from infantry headquarters stresses the need to collect information on KNU positions, resources and capabilities and to monitor the movements of the [...]

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