BURMA: UN Official to Visit Amid Curbs on Aid Agencies

The visit to Burma of a top-ranking United Nations official from Monday is being closely watched because it comes at a time when the country's military rulers are restive at the role of the world body in pushing democracy.

POLITICS: Ex-PM Gets off Lightly as Burma Plans to Chair ASEAN

Though sentenced to a staggering 44 years in prison for corruption, Burma's former prime minister, Khin Nyunt has been allowed to go home by military rulers anxious to take up the chairmanship of the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year.

POLITICS-BURMA: Generals Build New ‘Xanadu’ in the Hills

For months Rangoon has been rife with rumours that the country's military rulers were planning to retreat to the hills in central Burma for fear of a foreign invasion from the sea.

POLITICS: Burma’s ‘Moderate’ Gen. and Ex-Premier Goes on Trial

Burma's internationally best-known army general and former prime minister Khin Nyunt who is due to be tried this week can expect to be put away for the rest of his life say exile leaders.

BURMA: Poppy Ban Signals Start of Humanitarian Challenges

Burma's notorious drug barons, former rebels from the ethnic Wa group, have announced an end to poppy cultivation in the areas they control, but United Nations officials say it is only a first step to rehabilitating Wa villagers.

POLITICS-BURMA: Bomb Blasts Expose In-fighting

Burma's top military leader Senior General Than Shwe has strengthened his control over the army and government through a major shake-up of the army. But as a probe into the recent bomb blasts in the capital fails to make progress, exposing the military's in-fighting and weaknesses, many in Rangoon believe major changes are in the air.

POLITICS: Hardliners Could Isolate Burma Further

As the purge of pragmatists continues in Burma, there are signs that a major shift of power is also underway within the junta. A new generation of military officers is beginning to emerge which may signal a significant shift in policy, particularly towards the outside world.

BURMA: Hardline Generals Now Have the Upper Hand

A major shake-up of Burma's cabinet over the weekend sends a signal to the outside world that military hardliners have strengthened their control over the country.

BURMA: Real Magnitude of AIDS Hard to Tell, But Worries Rising

Three young Burmese women sit quietly in the foyer of one of the main tourist hotels here in this northern town in Burma. The youngest is barely 13, and obviously very unhappy.

BURMA: Real Magnitude of AIDS Hard to Tell, But Worries Rising

Three young Burmese women sit quietly in the foyer of one of the main tourist hotels here in this northern town in Burma. The youngest is barely 13, and obviously very unhappy.

POLITICS-BURMA: Rebuff of U.N. Rights Envoy Hints of Rift Within

The latest refusal by Burma military rulers to allow U.N. special rapporteur on human rights Paulo Sergio Pinheiro to visit Rangoon seems to reflect a growing division between the country's top generals over how to proceed with the national reconciliation process.

POLITICS-BURMA: Amid Criticism, Generals Press on with Convention

Despite mounting international criticism, Burma's military leaders are pressing on with the writing of a new constitution, in a process that began Monday without the participation of the pro-democracy political parties.

POLITICS-BURMA: Conflict at Top Levels Puts Reforms in Doubt

Burma's 'national reconciliation' process or road map to democracy is in deep trouble, and the much expected release of the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest has now become an increasingly dim hope.

/CORRECTED REPEAT/BURMA: Key Meet to Test if Junta, Opposition Can Work

All eyes are now on whether Burma's military rulers and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi are on the verge of agreeing to work together on the country's political future, after Rangoon announced this week that a National Convention that will draft a new constitution will resume work in May.

BURMA: Divisions within Military May Delay Dialogue Process

Amid signs that significant change in Burma may emerge in the next few weeks, divisions within the military leadership over the dialogue process could delay any efforts to move the country toward democracy.

POLITICS-BURMA: Signs of Breakthrough Pick up, Scepticism Lingers

Burmese Foreign Minister Win Aung's remarks that dissident leader Aung San Suu Kyi will be freed soon and that the constitution-writing process will be restarted have raised hopes for a breakthrough, but there is little real evidence yet of genuine progress in Burma's political deadlock.

POLITICS-BURMA: Truce with Ethnic Rebels Gives Junta a Boost

An official ceasefire agreement between Burma's military leaders and rebels with the Karen National Union (KNU), which may only be weeks away, promises to give Rangoon a key publicity victory.

POLITICS-INDONESIA: Polls Next Year, But Election Season Is Here

The flags of the various political parties flapping in the wind here are putting the whole spectrum of political opinion on display ahead of next year's key elections in Indonesia.

SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Burma Remains Contentious Issue for Region, U.S.

Burma will remain a major issue of contention between the United States and Asia's leaders in the coming weeks, after South-east Asian governments indicated willingness to give Rangoon some room to prove that its road map is indeed in the offing.

INDONESIA: One Year On, Bali Tries to Put the Pain Behind It

In downtown Kuta, the scene of last year's Bali bomb attacks, there are painful reminders everywhere of the tragic events of a year ago.

BURMA: Dialogue Process Adrift after Failed Visit by U.N. Envoy

U.N. envoy Razali Ismail's latest mission to Burma has ended in apparent failure, leaving him emptyhanded in efforts to revive the dialogue between Burma's military rulers and the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi - not to mention secure her release from house arrest.