Tag: Myanmar

Myanmar releases political prisoners before power transfer

Myanmar began releasing the first of about 100 political prisoners on Friday (January 22), government officials said, days before democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi’s party is due to form a new government after an election victory in November. The freeing of prisoners by the outgoing administration of President Thein Sein comes after U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Myanmar to free all of its political prisoners during a visit on Monday (18). […]

Myanmar’s Suu Kyi, ethnic armed groups gather for peace talks

Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi said on Tuesday (January 12) her government is ready to build ‘forever peace’ within the country as she was attending a peace summit in the in the country’s administrative capital, Naypyitaw. Hundreds of representatives of ethnic armed groups, the military and lawmakers gathered for talks that are expected to last until the end of the week, over a ceasefire to end insurgencies that have plagued the country for decades. […]

Aid arrives in flooded areas of Myanmar as death toll from floods hit 27

(Reuters) — Myanmar’s government aid relief team air-dropped supplies to flooded areas in Rakhine state on Monday (August 3) as the death toll rose to 27. The number of deaths was expected to rise further as relief and rescue teams struggled to reach those in need of help in remote areas. “First, we focus on food. We’ve prepared boxes of rice, drinking water, instant noodles. We have to drop off these rations six feet above […]

Monsoon rains displace thousands, kill 27 in Myanmar

(Reuters) — Television footage in Myanmar on Monday (August 3) showed flood waters affecting many areas of the country after deadly monsoon rains displaced tens of thousands of people and flooded swathes of rice paddies. The storm and floods have killed at least 27 people, according to government figures while the figure is expected to rise, according to a United Nations report. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in a statement said […]

Aid arrives into Myanmar’s Sittwe as floods displaces thousands

  (Reuters) — Aid from local government and non-government agencies arrived at Myanmar’s Sittwe airport on Friday (July 31), after deadly monsoon rains displaced tens of thousands of people, flooded swathes of rice paddy and prompted fears of dams collapsing. The storms and floods have so far killed 21 people, with water levels as high as 2.5 metres in Sagaing and 4.5 metres in western Rakhine state, according to the government, which on Friday declared […]

Two Myanmar men go on trial for murder of British tourists

(Reuters) — Two Myanmar men accused of murdering two British holidaymakers in Thailand arrived at Koh Samui Provincial Court on Wednesday (July 8). The case caused outrage in Britain and raised questions about the competence of the Thai police and the treatment of migrant labourers. British tourists David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, were murdered last year on Koh Tao, or Turtle Island, a popular tourist destination in southern Thailand. Thai police said in […]

Myanmar’s parliament votes vs constitutional amendments, preserves military’s political role

(Courtesy CCTV) — Myanmar’s parliament voted against several constitutional amendments on Thursday, preserving the armed forces’ powerful political role in the nation and barring opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s chance from seeking the presidency. After a 3-day debate, five out of six sections of the amendment bill were voted down. One of the proposals aimed to trim the share of ballots required to amend the constitution from over 75 percent to 70 percent, a […]

U.S. urges Myanmar to improve Rohingya living standards

  Living conditions for Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar should be improved to discourage them from making risky sea journeys at the hands of human traffickers, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State said on Friday (May 22). Antony Blinken made the comments after holding talks with the government in the capital Naypyidaw, to discuss the migrant crisis that has left thousands of people stranded on overcrowded boats in the Bay of Bengal. Myanmar’s military chief said […]

Myanmar says finds more than 200 Bangladeshis in boat offshore

Myanmar’s navy has brought ashore 200 Bangladeshis found in a boat off its coast, after its military chief said some of the thousands of migrants that have landed in Malaysia and Indonesia this month are pretending to be Rohingya Muslims to get UN aid. In response, a senior U.S. official said on Friday (May 22) that the majority of the more than 3,000 migrants that have come ashore are Rohingya fleeing desperate conditions in Rakhine […]

Indonesia struggles to provide some facilities for migrants

MAY 18 (Reuters) — Local Indonesian authorities in Aceh said on Monday (May 18) that shelters for migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh, lack basic showering facilities. Nearly 800 migrants came ashore in Aceh in Indonesia on Friday (May 15), taking the number that have made land in Indonesia and the northwest of Malaysia to more than 2,500 over the past week. One local Indonesian government official said while they had enough food for the migrants, […]

Indonesian authorities provide food, shelter and medical assistance to rescued migrants

MAY 16 (Reuters) — Indonesian authorities were busy on Saturday (May 16) morning, providing food to the hundreds of Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants who were brought to shore by local fishermen during the previous day from their boat which was drifting off the coast. The nearly 800 migrants who arrived on Friday (May 15) are being sheltered in a warehouse in Langsa, off the coast of Sumatra island. Another 100 who were rescued on Friday […]