The head of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is warning that ongoing sectarian violence in western Burma could radicalize minority Rohingya Muslims and threaten the stability of the whole region. ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan is calling for the international community to intervene in Burma’s western Rakhine state, where dozens have been killed and tens […]
ASEAN Chief: Burma Unrest Could Radicalize Rohingya Muslims
Posted October 30th, 2012 at 4:55 am (UTC-5)
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UN Says 22,000 Displaced in Burma Fighting
Posted October 28th, 2012 at 3:05 am (UTC-5)
The top U.N. official in Burma says 22,000 people have been displaced in a week of sectarian fighting between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Burma’s Rakhine state. The U.N. chief in Rangoon, Ashok Nigam, said Sunday that getting aid to those who fled their homes will be a challenge, because some fled on boats […]
Human Rights Group Calls for Protection of Muslims in Burma
Posted October 27th, 2012 at 4:50 am (UTC-5)
A human rights group has urged Burma to protect thousands of Muslims in the country’s west after satellite images showed once-thriving communities reduced to ashes. The Burmese government said a week of sectarian fighting between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Burma’s Rakhine state has left more than 2,800 houses burned down and 112 people […]
Death Toll in Burma Violence Tops 100
Posted October 26th, 2012 at 5:15 am (UTC-5)
Officials in Burma say the death toll from recent ethnic violence in the western state of Rakhine has risen above 100. Rakhine state spokesman Win Myaing said Friday that 112 people have been killed in clashes between Muslim Rohingya and Buddhist Rakhine communities. He said more than 70 people have been wounded in several days […]
Fresh Outbreak of Communal Violence in Burma’s Rakhine State
Posted October 23rd, 2012 at 4:25 am (UTC-5)
Burmese authorities say three people have been killed and hundreds of homes burned in a fresh outbreak of violence between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in western Rakhine state. The violence, which broke out in two remote areas north of the capital of Sittwe, highlights simmering tensions in Western Burma, where widespread violence in June left […]
Burma’s Thein Sein: Foreign Investment Bill to be Finalized in ‘Days’
Posted October 21st, 2012 at 1:35 pm (UTC-5)
Burmese President Thein Sein says long-delayed legislation to boost foreign investment in his country could be finalized within days. Speaking Sunday in the capital Naypyitaw, Mr. Thein Sein said he “thinks” a final draft of the foreign investment bill will emerge in several days after months of debate and amendments by parliament and the presidency. […]
US to Invite Burma to Observe Military Exercises
Posted October 19th, 2012 at 7:00 am (UTC-5)
Thailand says the United States plans to invite Burma to observe a major regional military exercise early next year. Thai Defense Ministry spokesman Colonel Thanathip Sawangsang said on Friday that Burma will be allowed to observe “Cobra Gold,” which annually brings together more than 10,000 troops U.S. and Thai troops and other participants from countries […]
Burma Authorizes Foreign Credit Cards
Posted October 19th, 2012 at 1:15 am (UTC-5)
Burma has approved the introduction of foreign credit cards, a move that will greatly simplify life for visitors to the former outcast nation. The state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported Friday that the finance ministry has given approval for Visa, MasterCard, China UnionPay and Japan Credit Bureau to enter the long-closed country. The paper […]
Burmese Independence Leader Dies in China
Posted October 10th, 2012 at 3:05 pm (UTC-5)
One of the last surviving Burmese independence leaders has died in exile. Former Brigadier General Kyaw Zaw died Wednesday at a hospital in southern China, where he had lived since fleeing Burma in 1976. He was 93. Kyaw Zaw rose to prominence as one of the “30 Comrades” who led the fight for Burma’s independence […]
Burmese Monks March on Bangladeshi Consulate
Posted October 9th, 2012 at 10:30 am (UTC-5)
Anger over violence targeting the Buddhist community in Bangladesh is becoming an issue again in neighboring Burma. About 400 maroon-robed monks marched through the streets of Sittwe to protest in front of the Bangladeshi consulate in Burma’s Rakhine state. Police officials say another 1,000 people watched. The protesters presented a letter to the consulate, demanding […]
