Ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples profiles
(Issues and problems)
Why indigenous land rights matter in Myanmar
The customary land rights of Myanmar’s indigenous peoples have been a much-discussed subject for decades, including during the “democratic transition” period that ended on February 1. The most striking aspect of this discussion, however, is how reluctant Myanmar policymakers—regardless of their political orientation—have been to ...
Esther Wah
Indigenous communities resisting dams in Indonesia claim they face repression, rights abuses
In October 2014, when developers entered Seko and Central Seko to begin preliminary work on a 480-megawatt hydroelectric dam, the communities living there say no one asked their permission. The area, in the Seko Subdistrict of North Luwu, in the southern part of Indonesia’s Sulawesi ...
Second 21st-century Panglong conference to begin on May 24
The Joint Implementation Coordination Meeting between the government and signatory groups, participants agreed to hold the Second 21st Century Panglong Conference beginning on May 24. The agreement was reached during a meeting in Nay Pyi Taw on April 24 between the government, Tatmadaw officials and armed ...
Asylum seeker family awaiting deportation
The asylum applications of all but three Montagnards in Phnom Penh have been rejected, though an appeal window remains open for the group, an official said yesterday, as the government prepares to repatriate at least four members of the ethnic minority back to Vietnam. Yesterday’s ...
The magic in Myanmar's numbers
Societies often treat numbers with care, even reverence. They may be mystical, magical, symbolic or simply a mnemonic tool. During World War II, the combination of the safe in the German Embassy in Turkey was Hitler’s birthday. Many years ago, the combination code of the ...
Family planning takes root in remote areas
Hoàng Thị Mọn has been providing family planning advice for the residents of Bắc Lanh Chang Village for more than two decades. For 20 of the 22 years that Mọn has been on the job in the northern province of Bắc Kạn, none of the ...
Wa State suffers as fewer Chinese come to party
In a remote casino in northeastern Burma, China’s pervasive campaign against graft has taken its toll. Hundreds of local traders and farmers place petty bets as low as 10 cents, outnumbering a few Chinese who were once the VIPs of a gambling hall decorated with ...
Myanmar voices commitment to social development In Naga self-administered zone
Myanmar government has voiced commitment to the social development of the ethnic people in Naga Self-Administered Zone, northwestern Sagaing region, Myanmar News Agency reported Monday, according to China’s Xinhua news agency. President U Htin Kyaw made the pledge Sunday in his speech at the opening of ...
Ethnic data from 2014 census to be released
The long-awaited and final section of the 2014 census will be revealed within four months, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, adding that preparations for the release of the ethnicity data are underway now. U Myint Kyaing, permanent secretary of the ministry, told The ...
Kachin residents forced to forage for food to survive
Skyrocketing transport costs and road blockages due to conflict have forced a number of villagers in northern Kachin State’s Hsawlaw township to begin foraging for food in order to survive, according to Kachin MPs. “If we buy a bag of rice from Chipwe or Myitkyina, ...
