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RIGHTS-BURMA
The Trafficking Trap Persists in Border Towns
by WIN NAING

RANONG, Thailand (IPS) — A Burmese woman sits on the wooden floor of a small room in Ranong, a Thai town bordering southern-most Burma. Over the sound of a whirring fan, the 18-year-old who is just over four feet tall recounts her past.

"I was sold twice to brothel houses," says Mi Kay (not her real name). She lowers her head and is silent for a while. more

	ENVIRONMENT Mekong 'Water War'? by Marwaan Macan-Markar CHIANG RAI, Thailand, Sep 6 (IPS) — Increasing faultlines between countries that share the Mekong River are prompting concerns among environmentalists about the possibility of a ''water war'' erupting in the region. more RIGHTS-MALAYSIA Finally, Rohingyas Recognised as Refugees by Baradan Kuppusamy KUALA LUMPUR (IPS) - After years of living as a stateless person in constant fear of the authorities, 42-year-old Abdul Jaffar, a Rohingya from Burma's Arakan state, can now breathe easily. more BURMA Democracy Off Radar Screen by Marwaan Macan-Markar BANGKOK (IPS) — By dismissing the country's prime minister in an unprecedented manner in October, Burma's military leader Senior Gen. Than Shwe has affirmed that the junta's hardliners will stop at nothing to retain their grip on power. more POLITICS 'India Can't Afford to Wait for Democracy in Burma' Analysis by Ranjit Devraj NEW DELHI (IPS) — Burma's military junta may be anathema to supporters of democracy but India believes that the generals hold the key to development of its troubled north-east and that friendly augur well for trade. more RIGHTS Mekong Children Speak Out Against Trafficking BANGKOK (IPS) — Children from the Mekong region have singled out karaoke bars mushrooming across their countries as a source of evil due to the sex that can be on offer during a night of song. more

CHINA-BURMA
At the Border, Sex Workers Take a Gamble
by WIN NAING

RUILI, China (IPS) — It is a cold winter's night, but the women are out walking in this frontier town in south-western China, near the border with Burma. more

Off-road Overload
by KULTIDA SAMABUDDHI

WHEN logging was banned in Thailand in 1989, the country's loggers went across the border to the dense forests of neighbouring Burma, Laos and Cambodia. When hydroelectric dams began to run into fierce opposition here, power producers looked to Laos and Burma to build dams. more

SEE ALSO:

• CAMBODIA | The Tougher, the Better
• LAOS | Underdevelopment as Tourist Attraction