Burma, Worst for Bloggers – CPJ

According to the New York based Center to Protect Journalists, Burma is the worst country for bloggers. Vietnam comes number 6 on the list of difficult places for freedom of expression and China number 8.
“Bloggers are at the vanguard of the information revolution and their numbers are expanding rapidly,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. [...]

‘Deep Scars’ Left by Nargis

A year after cyclone Nargis wrecked Burma, hundreds of orphaned children are still a long way from recovering. Monks are stepping in to provide shelter and protection.  Will it be enough for these young lives to grow?

Burmese Activist Arrested

The Burmese military junta has arrested a Burmese activist who has been in hiding for over a year and are likely to subject her to torture and other forms of abuse, according to a statement by Amnesty International.

Saffron Revolution, One Year Later

A year after Burma’s beloved monks took to the streets to support a popular uprising, the junta is said to be working hard at keeping a lid on any expressions of dissent.

One more detention in Burma

You read it here less than two weeks ago: Burma’s military government detained a noted comedian, Zargana, after he went on a private mission to aid millions of victims of Cyclone Nargis. Now they have detained a prominent journalist who was working with Zargana, Zaw Thet Htwe.

Burma: Buddhist relief efforts expand

RFA’s Burmese service had this interview with Thigadu Sayardaw, a senior figure in Burmese Buddhism, whose organisation is helping as much as possible with the relief effort for those made homeless by Tropical Cyclone Nargis:
Interviewer: Could you please tell us the situation of the cyclone victims that the Thidagu group is [...]

Who’ll stop the pain? Part 2

“The most suffering animal on the earth invented for itself: laughter.”—Nietzsche
I’ve often wondered what makes people laugh in the more repressive or deprived countries on this Earth. After 18 years of work on Burma and North Korea, among other Asian countries, I still don’t have an answer—although I do know of one man who [...]

Burma: “They’re faking it everywhere”

They’re faking it everywhere. They fake it by video taping, and then leaving that area. They’re just looking for an opportunity to video tape when authorities come. People are suffering from the storm. They are building elaborate stages, with velvet backdrops, and writing things like who is donating what for the storm [...]

Burma: Refugees ‘told to leave shelters by May 14′

More recent interviews from RFA’s Burmese service:
Announcer: The storm victims, who lost their houses, are now facing severe starvation, but they cannot enjoy the help from the international community right away. Instead the families of the military are getting the help first. A person close to the military families in the airforce in Mingaladon, Rangoon [...]

Burma: Donated food ’sold at high prices’

The dried noodles that came from abroad, that we’ve never seen before, — you can now buy them at City Mart. Also, in Nyaung-bin-lay Market, I’ve seen cans of condensed milk that we’ve never seen before. These are the things donated by foreign countries. You can buy those packets of dried noodles. It’s 600 a [...]