Burma’s Exiled Activists Consider Returning Home

“Now my life has changed because we got a baby… Before that, I didn’t care,” he added. “What I wanted I could do. Now I have to think about my son’s future – what would they do without me if I die? So I have to think. But still I am working on the democratic movement” […]

Aung San Suu Kyi ends boycott to make Myanmar parliamentary debut

Aung San Suu Kyi will take her seat in Myanmar’s military-stuffed parliament on Wednesday, after reversing a brief boycott over the wording of an oath of fealty to the country’s junta-era constitution.

The former political prisoner was scheduled to join the Myanmar (Burma) parliament on April 23, after her National League for Democracy (NLD) Party won 43 out of 45 seats in April 1 by-elections. But Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi asked that the text of the oath be changed from a pledge to safeguard the constitution, which has many provisions her party disagrees with, to one that stipulates only “respect” […]

Myanmar exiles urge US go slow on easing sanctions

The European Union’s suspension of economic sanctions against Myanmar has riled exiled activists, who are urging the United States to press for further reforms by the dominant military before following suit.

The activists’ opposition has exposed differences with democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi whose cause they have championed for more than two decades, which helped drive the sanctions in the first place […]

Myanmar activists say go slow on easing sanctions

The increasingly enthusiastic love affair between Myanmar and the West is about to heat up further with the European Union’s expected announcement that it is easing sanctions on the Southeast Asian nation. But not everyone is caught up in the euphoria.

Many human rights groups are urging the West to move slowly as it re-engages with Myanmar, saying the country’s partial return to democracy is not cause for celebration […]

Multilaterals warned not to go too far, too fast in Myanmar

As multilateral lending agencies prepare to seriously re-engage with Myanmar for the first time in decades, observers at the spring meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) are warning that a poor understanding of ground conditions in the country could jeopardise many of the early opportunities created by government-initiated reforms […]

Suu Kyi win is in regime’s interests – Burmese activists

Much of the excitement generated by Myanmar’s by-elections on Saturday revolves around Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and how the icon of democracy will fare in her bid for a parliament seat.

Not for Burmese activists and human rights workers attending the ASEAN People’s Forum here, however.

For them, it’s a foregone conclusion — “The Lady” will win […]

Phnom Penh hotel bars presentation on Myanmar situation, gov’t hand eyed

Incensed Myanmar participants to the ASEAN People’s Forum in Phnom Penh here were forced to forgo Friday morning a scheduled presentation on their country’s current political and human rights situation because of restrictions imposed by the hotel where the event is being held, prompting suspicions that the Cambodian government had a hand in the incident […]

Burma’s women are paving the road to freedom

As someone who has worked on human rights and democracy promotion in U.S. foreign policy, one of the questions I most often hear is “Why does the U.S. think it can ‘impose’ democracy on other countries?” My answer is always the same. We never impose democracy on other countries, we support the individuals and organizations in any country that share our commitment to universal human rights and a desire for freedom for themselves and their nations […]

Burma’s by-elections: A vote of confidence

It is hard to think of a by-election that has attracted the same level of attention as the forthcoming Burmese poll.

The presence of Aung San Suu Kyi on the campaign trail is no doubt a significant draw. But the outcome will not tilt the country’s balance of power because only 45 of the more than 1,000 seats in the national and regional parliaments are being contested […]

Woman dissident peels mask off today’s Myanmar

The onion, with its brown, red or white skin, looks inviting outside. But try peeling off its layers inside one by one and you might end up drying your tears. That’s the message Khin Ohmar, prominent woman activist in exile, was putting across to her listeners yesterday at Chiangmai University […]