News
Karen leader: ‘If they keep attacking us, there will be no peace’
This week, representatives of a number of Myanmar’s ethnic armed groups convened in Wa Special Region for a political strategy summit among those that abstained from a recent ceasefire accord with the government. Attendees met for three days with the aim of establishing a path forward between ...
Aung San Suu Kyi seems to have Myanmar’s countryside in her corner
This village at the end of a long, bumpy dirt road in the Irrawaddy Delta would seem a natural stronghold for the former generals who rule Myanmar. The villagers, mostly rice farmers, are overwhelmingly Buddhist and undereducated, and they live in a society still shaped by ...
UN calls upon Myanmar Government to hold elections in ‘peaceful environment’
The Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, and the Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect, Jennifer Welsh, called on the Government of Myanmar to take all possible measures to ensure that the upcoming elections of 8 November are held in a ...
EU Election Observation Mission deploys 62 short-term observers
The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar deployed 62 short-term observers throughout the country on 5 November. The group is the third contingent, following the core team and the 30 long-term observers, which have arrived in Myanmar ...
No Thai-Myanmar border closed as rumored
Myanmar says it did not close its borders along Thailand’s Tak province as rumored. Tak authorities have confirmed that trade on the Thai-Myanmar border remains open as usual, after the 4th Infantry Regiment investigated the claims. Keep reading ...
Suu Kyi looks set to win Myanmar election, but problems loom
When Aung San Suu Kyi’s candidate emerges at a campaign rally in southern Myanmar, the crowd bursts into cheers and showers him with flowers, confident that the opposition will prevail this weekend after decades of struggle against military rulers. The scene in the town of Myaungmya, ...
Spurred by Myanmar radicals, Thai Buddhists push for state religion status
A campaign to enshrine Buddhism as Thailand’s state religion has been galvanized by a radical Buddhist movement in neighboring Myanmar that is accused of stoking religious tension, the leader of the Thai bid said. Experts say the campaign could appeal to Thailand’s military junta, which is ...
EU and Myanmar strengthen cooperation on climate change
The European Union and Myanmar has committed to strengthening cooperation on climate change ahead of the adoption of a new global climate deal in Paris this December according to an EU press release on 2 November. Keep reading ...
No vote, no candidates: Myanmar's Muslims barred from their own election
The upcoming poll on 8 November has been been touted as the freest and fairest in decades but, with religion an increasingly sensitive issue in Myanmar, many Muslims – from ordinary voters to experienced politicians – are coming up against barriers to participation. Dozens of Muslims ...
Election brings hope, fear for Myanmar refugees stuck in limbo
For refugees from Myanmar living in camps just across the border in Thailand, a landmark election in their homeland triggers mixed emotions – hope that a hated government will be defeated, and fear of the uncertain future such an upheaval might bring. Ko Chit, 45, who ...
