Burma’s pro-military government has lifted a long-standing ban on several prominent news Web sites, including the Voice of America, Reuters news agency and the British Broadcasting Corporation. Web sites belonging to several major regional news organizations and the exile-run Democratic Voice of Burma were also unblocked, along with the online video portal YouTube. The surprise […]
New Burmese Government Unblocks Foreign Web Sites
Posted September 15th, 2011 at 11:50 am (UTC-5)
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Burmese Court Extends Press Photographer’s Jail Term
Posted September 15th, 2011 at 2:40 am (UTC-5)
A Burmese court has added 10 years to the prison sentence of a young news photographer who was arrested after taking pictures at the scene of a bomb attack last year. The court sentenced 21-year-old Sithu Zeya on Wednesday under Burma’s harsh Electronics Act, saying he had circulated material that could damage tranquillity and unity […]
US-Burma Talks Set for New York Next Week
Posted September 15th, 2011 at 1:15 am (UTC-5)
U.S. officials say they will try to assess Burma’s commitment to real reform during talks with Burmese Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin next week in New York. An aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton briefed reporters Wednesday on the planned meeting, to be held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting. Assistant […]
US Envoy Calls For Actions to Match Burmese Promises
Posted September 14th, 2011 at 4:40 am (UTC-5)
U.S. special envoy Derek Mitchell says Burmese officials claim they are committed to reform, but he has urged them to back up their words with concrete actions. Mitchell, the new U.S. coordinator for Burma policy, spoke to reporters Wednesday as he was ending a five-day visit to Burma. He said he was encouraged by the […]
US Senator Urges Flexibility on Burma Policy
Posted September 12th, 2011 at 11:32 pm (UTC-5)
An influential U.S. senator says the United States should be prepared to adjust its policy on Burma sanctions if the government in that country continues its process of opening up. Senator Jim Webb, the chairman of a Senate subcommittee responsible for East Asian affairs, made the remark Monday as the Senate conducted a routine vote […]
EU Envoy Says Burma Wants Peace With Ethnic Groups
Posted September 11th, 2011 at 7:15 am (UTC-5)
A European commissioner said Sunday that Burma’s new government has vowed to pursue peaceful solutions to its decades-old conflicts with ethnic minority groups. Speaking in Bangkok Sunday, Kristalina Georgieva, the European Union commissioner for humanitarian aid, told reporters that Burma’s minister of border control strongly believes there must be peace, and that it can be […]
Burma Welcomes New US Envoy
Posted September 9th, 2011 at 4:30 pm (UTC-5)
The United States says its special envoy to Burma travels to Rangoon Saturday and is expecting to meet there with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Derek Mitchell held talks Friday with leaders of Burma’s new nominally civilian government in the administrative capital Naypyitaw. A U.S. State Department spokeswoman says Mitchell saw Burma’s ministers of […]
Burma Welcomes New US Envoy
Posted September 9th, 2011 at 6:25 am (UTC-5)
The special U.S. envoy to Burma has arrived in the country for talks with leaders of the new nominally civilian government. Derek Mitchell will spend Friday holding meetings with the Burmese foreign minister and other officials in the administrative capital Naypyitaw. He will also meet with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as […]
Nobel Laureates Push Clinton on Burma Inquiry Panel
Posted September 8th, 2011 at 12:31 am (UTC-5)
A group of female Nobel Peace Prize winners is urging U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to support a special commission to investigate human rights abuses in Burma. The five laureates, co-founders of the Nobel Women’s Initiative, sent a letter to Clinton earlier this week asking her to “publicly and unequivocally” back the creation of […]
Burma Journal Publishes Aung San Suu Kyi Commentary
Posted September 7th, 2011 at 11:00 am (UTC-5)
A political journal in Burma has published a news column written by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a move that follows years of censorship by the country’s authoritarian government. The column first appeared July 19 in Tokyo’s Mainichi newpaper. It was published without changes this week by the political journal People’s Era in Rangoon. […]
