We Will Work With Suu Kyi to Amend Constitution to ‘Benefit State’ — USDP
Burma’s ruling party said it would support amendments to the constitution proposed by the opposition National League for Democracy, within limits.
An Upper House lawmaker says he will push the government to investigate the former junta’s sale of gas stations to cronies at below market prices.
In a bid to reduce corruption and mismanagement, the president forces six high-ranking officials to resign and demotes dozens more.
Critics of the plan say the tax rises could amount to “extortion” if not spent on welfare programs.
Just five days after Burma’s government released its controversial draft press law, the bill was sent to Parliament. Local media warned it would reinstate censorship.
Burma’s main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, will decide whether to accept its former members at its upcoming nationwide assembly, say party sources.
Burma’s Parliament approves a US $1.15 billion defense budget. Military expenditure dwarfs other public spending, and half of it is allocated for military hardware.
Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi reacted to foreign critics by saying that Burma “must decide for itself” whether or not Rohingya should gain citizenship.
Complaints about illegal acts committed by Burma’s former military junta can still be submitted to the government, according to the chairman of a government committee.
Burma’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has great ambitions for the coming year, but critics say they aren’t realistic.
Burma’s Ministry of Immigration and Population says it has begun verifying the status of immigrants in Mandalay, where Chinese immigrants—many of them illegal—now dominate.
Sixteen employees of Burma’s Customs Department are forced to resign for taking bribes, according to official sources.
Tay Za, a US sanction-listed businessman, wants to quit chairing Burma’s gem industry association, but the organization claims that it wants him to stay.
Former military leader Than Shwe still follows Burma’s politics with interest but he no longer seeks any influence, says a USDP leader who visits him.
The vice-chairman of Burma’s ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party tells The Irrawaddy that the party is planning to publish a daily newspaper.
Responding to criticism of her silence on the conflict in Kachin State, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi urges an immediate end to the fighting.
Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi defends her party’s acceptance of donations from military cronies, saying they should be considered innocent until proven guilty.
The new Myanmar Press Council will negotiate between the government and two journals, The Voice and Snapshot, for the withdrawal of government lawsuits against them.
The Burmese government plans to establish a gemstone center in the capital Naypyidaw, where it hopes traders and investors will open stores and processing industries.
Ethnic minority politicians in Burma, especially prominent Arakanese MPs, have moved to criticize US President Barack Obama for his historical speech at Rangoon University.
