Equality Myanmar News

Gov’t planning resettlement of Kachin refugees

MONDAY, 20 FEBRUARY 2012 After the conditions in Kachin State are “safe,” the Burmese government plans to resettle displaced people and refugees sometime before May, allowing them to return to their homes and farms. Government officials…

Ensuring Due Process In Burma

MONDAY, 20 FEBRUARY 2012 Editor’s note: The following editorial appeared in the Voice of America on Saturday, prior to the news of charges against Ashin Gambira, the recently released monk who was a leader in the 2007 “Saffron Revolution.” (Editorial)…

Suu Kyi campaign speech blocked by government

MONDAY, 20 FEBRUARY 2012 A speech planned by pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi along her campaign trail has been blocked by the Burmese government and forced to move to a less prominent location. Her speech was meant to be held at…

Rohingya Denied Passports to Work in Thailand

THURSDAY, 16 FEBRUARY 2012 Ethnic Rohingya from western Burma’s Arakan State say that Burmese authorities in the Thai border town of Ranong have refused to issue them the documents they need to work in Thailand legally. Around 20 Rohingya…

‘No probe into ethnic abuse’: rights body

WEDNESDAY, 15 FEBRUARY 2012 The head of Burma’s fledgling human rights panel on Tuesday said it would not launch probes into allegations of abuses in ethnic conflict areas to encourage regime efforts to seek an end to fighting. Bloody…

Opposition MPs Take Aim at Army Influence

WEDNESDAY, 15 FEBRUARY 2012 Opposition MPs in Burma have called for a dramatic curtailing of the influence of the armed forces in civilian affairs, describing the military’s continuing role in a variety of sectors as an impediment to progress…

China Refutes Reports of Kachin Refugee Flood

MONDAY, 13 FEBRUARY 2012 A spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has refuted media reports of a mass exodus of Kachin refugees from Burma to China. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, spokesman Liu Weimin said, “After…

International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers celebrates in Mae Sot

Equality Myanmar organized the activities of International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers (12th February) and Burma Children’s Day (13th February) at Thwe Thit migrant School, on February 12, 2012. The ceremony was attended by students,…

Attacks Continue Despite Karen Ceasefire

TUESDAY, 07 FEBRUARY 2012 The Burmese army has continued to carry out unprovoked attacks on civilians in Karen state, including the shelling last week of a camp housing internally displaced persons (IDPs), despite an agreement on 12 January…

US Set to Issue Sanctions Waiver for Burma

TUESDAY, 07 FEBRUARY 2012 WASHINGTON — The United States on Monday eased one of its many sanctions against Burma as a reward for political reforms after five decades of direct military rule. The step is very limited, and most of the…