Less basic aid to Burma’s refugees in Thailand means money sent from abroad has never been more vital.
Burmese President Thein Sein arrives in Norway for his first stop on a 12-day, five-nation tour of Europe.
Burma’s government and ethnic militias discussed for the first time how local and international aid projects can be implemented in the country’s impoverished ethnic regions.
Burmese government negotiators held peace talks with leaders of the Shan State Army South on Tuesday and they agreed to meet again in Naypyidaw.
A Burmese government delegation will arrive in Thailand on Tuesday to meet with ethnic leaders, but it won’t be joined by any senior military officials.
Independent Burma observers say it is unlikely that the Kachin conflict will end soon, despite the recent start of ceasefire talks.
On Feb. 14, 2008 gunmen shot prominent Karen leader Mahn Sha in his home at Mae Sot, Thailand. His murder remains shrouded in mystery.
Burma’s government is scheduled to hold ceasefire talks and a political dialogue with Kachin rebel leaders and other ethnic groups in Thailand on Feb. 20.
Plans to extend the length of time journalists can stay in Burma are welcomed, but concerns persist about efforts to control reporting on sensitive issues.
Monday’s meeting between the Burmese government and Kachin rebels does little to change the situation on the ground, but clears the way for further talks.
Thirty-one ethnic women’s groups in Burma speak out against the government army for committing sexual abuses against women in war-torn Kachin State.
The government’s lifting of a public gatherings ban is being welcomed in Burma, but a parliamentarian said revoking many other repressive laws should be fast-tracked.
In a rare statement, Burma’s Ministry of Defense has lashed out at international organizations, embassies and media, saying they “fabricated news” about the Kachin conflict.
A senior US diplomat tells refugees at the Mae La camp on the Thai-Burmese border that the US has discontinued its resettlement program.
The recent visit to Naypyidaw by Karen National Union leaders was a PR coup for the government, but did little to advance the peace process.
The Burmese government army conducted airstrikes on Kachin rebel positions for the seventh consecutive day on Thursday, but on Friday no more airstrikes were reported.
Five top leaders from the Karen National Union (KNU) meet President Thein Sein in Naypyidaw to discuss the peace process.
As fighting heats up in northern Burma, local reporters and ethnic rebels say the government army has hit China’s Yunnan Province with rocket fire.
The government’s army launches a mass air assault with five jet fighters and two helicopters near rebel headquarters in Laiza.
The group’s new leaders are expected to accelerate peace talks and development projects, but observers and local sources urge them to proceed with caution.
