BURMA: After Suu Kyi’s Release, Dangerous Time Sets In

A dilapidated colonial villa on the banks of the Inya Lake in Rangoon, Burma’s largest city, has regained its identity as a home – instead of a prison – following the Saturday release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the icon of the military-ruled country’s democracy movement.

POLITICS-BURMA: Emotions Peak As Suu Kyi Is Freed

Some were smiling, many were crying and others were shouting, but emotions overflowed among the hundreds of Burmese who had been keeping vigil for the latest release from house arrest of the country's pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Syi.

BURMA: Junta’s Asian Friends Close Ranks, Endorse Poll

A political fault line has emerged just days after Burma’s junta held the country’s first election in two decades, one that was held on Nov. 7 with near military precision to ensure a sweeping victory for the military regime’s allies.

Burma’s Junta Switches from Fatigues to Plain Clothes

On May 30, 2003, the Depayin Massacre in Burma (Myanmar) left at least 70 people dead. A failed attempt to assassinate opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the attack was carried out by the pro-junta political militia, the Union Solidarity Development Association (USDA).

POLITICS-BURMA: Few Surprises in First Poll in 20 Years

"People were busy watching Al-Jazeera and DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) TV, but not about the vote," a Buddhist monk here remarked at the end of election day on Nov. 7, the first general poll to be held in this military-ruled country in 20 years.

BURMA: If Freed, Suu Kyi Would Face New Political Landscape

To some in her country she is known as "The Lady," and to others, the more endearing "Aunty Suu." Yet beyond the borders of Burma, which has endured nearly 50 years of oppressive military regimes, Aung San Suu Kyi has been long regarded as the icon of the country’s struggling democracy movement.

POLITICS-BURMA: To Vote or Not to Vote

Near markets, bus stops and busy areas in this city, groups of young people are busy handling out leaflets with a photograph of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and her message saying "people have a right not to vote if they don’t want to".

U.N. Doubts Credibility of Upcoming Burmese Polls

The United Nations is fighting a losing battle trying to convince the repressive military junta in Burma (Myanmar) that nationwide elections scheduled for next week should be both "credible" and "inclusive".

BURMA: Poll A Showdown between Dead Strongman and Living One

The ghost of military-ruled Burma’s first strongman, Gen Ne Win, has returned to haunt the South-east Asian nation’s current junta leader, Senior Gen Than Shwe, as the country heads for its first general election in two decades on Nov. 7.

Looking Beyond Burma’s 2010 Elections

While scores of international observers wait on tenterhooks for the first election in Burma in two decades - and one of only three multiparty elections in 60 years – a report by the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights there suggests that the world need not wait for Nov. 7 to judge the outcome.

BURMA: Ahead of Poll, Junta Faces Off with A Familiar Foe – Radio

As military-ruled Burma heads towards its first general election in two decades in November, its citizens are tuning in to their enduring faith in the old communication order – the power of the radio.

BURMA: As Vote Nears, Moods Range from Disdain to Determination

"Voting in X (number of) days," reads what sound like a reminder to voters in the front pages of weekly journals here ahead of the Nov. 7 general election in Burma, the first to be held in 20 years.

BURMA: Heroin Trade Tears Social Fabric of Ethnic Minorities

Dustbins in a university toilet rarely elicit a second look, but those at one of the oldest universities in Burma’s Kachin State do offer reason to pause. The bins, after all, collect a special form of garbage disposed of by students – hypodermic needles and syringes they have used to inject themselves with heroin.

ENVIRONMENT-BURMA: Flood Of Support Rises to Save Inle Lake

Monsoon rains might have brought welcome relief to the inhabitants of Inle Lake, but concerned Burmese groups – both government and non-governmental organisations alike – are rallying to preserve Burma’s second largest lake from drying up again, as it did from earlier this year due to prolonged drought.

LABOUR: Newly Emboldened Burmese Workers Press for Change

When nearly 1,000 Burmese migrant workers launched a strike at a fishnet factory in north-east Thailand a week ago, activists expected it to be a short burst of anger. After all, this frequently abused labour force was often gripped with fear during brief work stoppages in the past elsewhere in this South-east Asian kingdom.

DEVELOPMENT: South-east Asian Highway Hits Roadblock in Burma

With its thick forest cover and abundant wildlife, the Dawna mountain range in south-eastern Burma is coming in the way of a flagship highway project being pushed by one of Asia’s premier financiers of roads.

BURMA: Military Shake-up Reveals Junta’s Plans for New Gov’t

As the November general election in Burma approaches, the country’s junta is revealing the political designs underway in order to place the powerful military under civilian authority after a lapse of 22 years.

BURMA: U.S. Support Boosts Calls for U.N. War Crimes Inquiry

An international campaign seeking a war crimes inquiry into the alleged systematic abuses by Burma’s military regime finally has a strong ally in U.S. President Barack Obama.

POLITICS-BURMA: After 20 Years, Junta Picks November Poll Date

By finally announcing the date of the country’s first general election in 20 years, Burma’s military regime has lived up to a promise it made in its seven-step "roadmap", a blueprint in its desperate quest for political legitimacy.

BURMA: Call for War Crimes Inquiry Foils U.N. Envoy’s Trip

When a U.N. human rights investigator for Burma called for an international inquiry to look into possible war crimes by the country’s military regime, he added significant weight to similar calls that had been made in other quarters.

BURMA: Civil Society Steps into Election Fray, Trains Candidates

Civil society organisations in Burma are stepping into the minefield of pre-election activity in the military-ruled country, giving rise to possible shifts in the political landscape there.