Observers from Burma’s armed forces have joined the US-led military exercises in Thailand known as Cobra Gold for the first time, reports VOA. “The Burmese will observe the staff planning process and the military medical portions of this year’s Cobra Gold,” said US embassy spokesperson Kristin Kneedler. Regarding the controversy surrounding the decision to allow Burma’s military, which is still accused of targeting civilians in its conflicts with ethnic rebels, Kneedler said the exercise “encourages armed forces to institutionalize civilian control, accountability and the protection of human rights.”