Last Update: 5:17 am ET

Burma

Myanmar Halts China Dam

President’s Action Is Seen as Snub to Beijing and Move to Appease Dissidents
Myanmar’s president called Friday to suspend construction of a controversial China-backed hydroelectric dam that would have flooded an area the size of Singapore, marking the latest—and potentially most significant—sign of warming relations between local dissidents and Myanmar’s new civilian government.
The move is also [...]

Read More » No commentOctober 2, 2011

Japanese tourist killed in Myanmar

A Japanese tourist has been killed in Myanmar and a motorcycle taxi driver arrested on suspicion of her murder, a government official said Thursday.
Chiharu Shiramatsu, 31, was killed on Wednesday near Kyaukpadaung, close to the ancient temple city of Bagan, after hiring the motorcycle taxi to go sightseeing, according to the authorities.
“She was killed by a motorcycle taxi driver who tried to rape [...]

Read More » No commentSeptember 29, 2011

Petition urges US to press Myanmar war probe

A petition by thousands of Americans on Monday urged the United States to press for a UN-led probe into alleged crimes against humanity in Myanmar, saying the country needs accountability to move ahead.
The US Campaign for Burma said that 13,000 US citizens signed the petition, many of them at concerts by U2 whose frontman Bono [...]

Read More » No commentSeptember 27, 2011

Myanmar police stand by as protesters test limits

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Democracy activists freshly tested the new Myanmar government’s avowed tolerance for dissent by gathering peacefully Monday at a central landmark in the country’s biggest city in honor of giant protests four years ago.
Four truckloads of riot police and two prison vans stood nearby but police did nothing to interfere with almost [...]

Read More » No commentSeptember 27, 2011

Suu Kyi urges world to keep eye on Myanmar

Myanmar’s pro-democracy hero Aung San Suu Kyi urged the world Wednesday not to take its eye off her country as it enters what she said were the first small steps to freedom.
In a rare appearance via videolink from Myanmar — also known as Burma — to an international conference in New York, Suu Kyi said [...]

Read More » No commentSeptember 22, 2011

Suu Kyi holds first talks with new Myanmar govt

Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi held her first talks with a minister in Myanmar’s new government on Monday, in contacts that have raised hopes for an ongoing dialogue between the two sides.
Just days after the US called for “concrete” progress towards democracy, Suu Kyi — who was released from house arrest after controversial November [...]

Read More » No commentJuly 26, 2011

Hint of hope as Suu Kyi set for Myanmar govt meet

Aung San Suu Kyi will Monday meet a minister of Myanmar’s new, nominally-civilian government for the first time, raising cautious hopes after the US called for “concrete” progress towards democracy.
Suu Kyi has frequently urged dialogue with the government since her release from house arrest just days after November’s controversial elections, but [...]

Read More » No commentJuly 25, 2011

Suu Kyi to meet Myanmar minister: official

Myanmar’s democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi will meet a minister on Monday in her first dialogue with the country’s new civilian leadership, a government official told AFP on Saturday.
Suu Kyi has frequently called for dialogue with the government since her release from house arrest just days after last year’s November [...]

Read More » No commentJuly 24, 2011

US praises Laos for suspending Mekong dam project

BALI, Indonesia (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton praised Laos as taking a “forward-leaning position” after the tiny, land-locked nation said it had no immediate plans to resume work on a dam across the Mekong River.
The project Laos was considering would be the first dam across the river as [...]

Read More » No commentJuly 23, 2011

Suu Kyi gets emotional reception on Myanmar holiday

Democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi attracted dozens of emotional supporters Wednesday during her visit to an ancient temple city in central Myanmar, proving her enduring popularity after years in detention.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner is on holiday in Bagan, famed for its temple ruins, on her first venture outside her home [...]

Read More » No commentJuly 6, 2011