Vision for Burma

(Photo: Reuters)

Relief workers in Burma say they have been experiencing difficulties since Deputy Foreign Minister Kyaw Thu, chairman of the TCG, was transferred to an inactive position, as chairman of the ministerial-level Civil Service Selection and Training Board.
After the junta faced international outrage over the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi’s began in May, the activities and visa processing of relief workers had been experiencing difficulties, said a European relief worker who spoke on condition of anonymity.

More via The Irrawaddy

“It’s a fairly common practice [ for the government to plant mines around rice crops]- particularly in conflict areas in Karen state,” David Scott Mathieson, Burma researcher for HRW told IRIN from the Thai border town of Mae Sot. “The idea is to deter civilians from returning to their villages to collect their belongings or tend their crops.”

More Via IRIN Asia

sold as slaves

In Malaysia, some immigration officials have been accused of involvement in selling refugees from Myanmar, also known as Burma, to gangs in Thailand.

The attorney general’s office in Malaysia says 10 immigration officers are being investigated after the U.S. State Department placed Malaysia on its list of the world’s worst human trafficking offenders last month.

More Via WorldFocus

Children fleeing the most recent attacks in Mone Township. July, 2009

Three villagers killed and 500 new IDPs forced to flee homes as Burma Army launches attacks in Northern Karen State. New Burma Army attacks in Mone Township, Nyaunglebin District, northern Karen State, have forced over 500 villagers to hide in the jungle and has left three men dead.

More Via Free Burma Rangers

Be it Iran or North Korea, economic sanctions are a well-used weapon in the diplomatic arsenal for dealing with international disputes. But do they work?. . .

Neighboring Thailand depends heavily on Myanmar’s offshore natural gas and hydroelectric dams to provide power to the Thai population. China has signed a deal to build a natural gas pipeline from the west coast of Myanmar into western China. Thailand buys about 30 percent of its gas from Myanmar and uses gas to generate about two-thirds of its electricity.

More Via CNN