Articles

Human Rights Watch praised Burma’s newly elected government for quickly putting into action the release of the country’s political prisoners. In a statement to the media Human Rights Watch said that “the new Burmese government, led by the National League for Democracy (NLD), has taken a major step in releasing approximately 200 political prisoners and detainees, Human Rights Watch said…

The European Burma Network has called on the newly elected NLD government of Burma to “act swiftly” in addressing the humanitarian crisis confronting the country’s Muslim Rohingya population. “The past five years have seen a dramatic escalation of human rights abuses, repression, discrimination and violence against the Rohingya,” the EBN statement said. The Rohingya have faced mounting repression since violence…

A Burmese court on Friday released 69 political prisoners on Friday. The jailed student activists were freed following Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s promise on Thursday that a priority of her National League of Democracy government would be the release of activists and political prisoners. A large crowd outside the Tharrawaddy courthouse celebrated the release of the 69 students with…

SNLD lawmaker Sai Thiha Kyaw shares his thoughts on what the NLD government could achieve for Shan State and what issues he will address. NAYPYITAW (Myanmar Now) – Sai Thiha Kyaw is a two-term lawmaker in the Lower House representing Mongyai Township in northern Shan State. He became an MP in 2011 as a member of Shan Nationalities Democratic Party…

Saw Beebe, lies flat on his stomach on the family’s wooden floor, and for the last two years that is how he has spent most of his time looking at his now restricted world. He misses going outside and all the childhood activities that his illness now denies him. Saw Beebe, now 9, like most children enjoyed going to school…

In an effort to unify both the signatories and non-signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement the leaders of the ethnic armed groups met last week in Chaing Mai, Thailand. The groups met in the hope of finding unity before beginning negotiations with the newly elected National League of Democracy government. The ethnic armed group’s summit was held from 24th to…

A report by Free Burma Rangers, a humanitarian organisation, has found evidence of opium growing in areas of Chin State, Burma’s Westernmost State. Chin State is one of Burma’s poorest states and is not known as an area for large opium production, which is more closely associated with Eastern Shan and Kachin States, that form part of the notorious ‘Golden…

A four-year-long state of emergency has been lifted in Arakan State the day before Burma’s new government took power, leading to calls for restrictions on ethnic Rohingya to also be lifted. On 29 March 2016, the last day of President U Thein Sein’s administration, emergency rule was lifted from Arakan State which had been the site of inter-communal violence between…

YANGON (Myanmar Now) – Shortly after newly elected President Htin Kyaw completed a swearing-in ceremony in Myanmar’s parliament on Wednesday morning, the country’s new leader, a ‘proxy’ of National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, headed to the Presidential Residence in Naypyitaw. In its stately diplomatic hall, Htin Kyaw met outgoing President Thein Sein. An aired video recording…

Mi Kayin villagers in Hpa-an Township held a prayer service for the protection of their land and natural resources threatened by the proposed cement plant on March 29, 2016. The villagers gathered at the base of Mi Kayin Mountain for the public prayer service after a recently revived proposal to develop a limestone quarry and cement factory near their village.…