Burma

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At 66, Suu Kyi Celebrates 'Triumph of Spirit'

Aung San Suu Kyi celebrates birthday a semi-free woman, gives interview

(Newser) - Aung San Suu Kyi celebrated her 66th birthday as a relatively free woman today, reports the AP, the first time in nine years the Burma opposition leader hasn't been under house arrest. There was cake at her party's headquarters and a visit from her youngest son, but more...

Burma Earthquake: At Least 120 Killed, More Feared Dead
 Burma Quake Kills at Least 120 
Mar 25, 2011 7:36 AM CDT

Burma Quake Kills at Least 120

Country is ill prepared to deal with disasters, BBC notes

(Newser) - Yesterday's 6.8 earthquake in Burma killed at least 120 people, according to Red Cross officials, and that number is expected to rise. The official government death toll is 74, with 111 injured, Time notes. Initial reports stated the country was hit with two earthquakes moments apart, but USGS has...

Two 7.0-Magnitude Quakes Strike Burma

Caused buildings to sway in Bangkok

(Newser) - Two 7.0-magnitude earthquakes hit northeastern Burma less than a minute apart today, shaking the ground as far away as Bangkok, where buildings swayed. The quakes struck near the country's borders with Thailand and Laos, about 70 miles from the northern Thai city of Chiang Rai. The US Geological Survey...

Burma Opens First Parliament in 20 Years

Heavy security in the capital reported, with police manning roadblocks

(Newser) - Burma's first parliament in more than 20 years opened under tight security today, with armed police manning roadblocks on all routes leading to parliament and checking all buses carrying representatives for bombs. Delegates wore traditional attire, but were banned from carrying mobile phones, cameras, computers, and other electronic devices into...

Burma Working on Nuclear Weapon in Secret Jungle Site
Burma Working on Nuclear Weapon in Secret Jungle Site
wikileaks reveal
Dec 10, 2010 7:45 AM CST

Burma Working on Nuclear Weapon in Secret Jungle Site

Witnesses say they've seen secret facility, missiles: WikiLeaks reveal

(Newser) - Burma may be building nuclear weapons, according to some of WikiLeaks’ State Department cables. A Burmese officer told US diplomats that he’d seen North Korean technicians helping to build “a concrete-reinforced underground facility,” where surface-to-air missiles were being assembled, the Guardian reports. Another witness said he’d...

Suu Kyi, Son Reunited After 10 Years

Kim Aris allowed to visit Burma to visit freed mom

(Newser) - Finally-free political activist Aung San Suu Kyi has been reunited with her younger son for the first time in a decade. Kim Aris, 33, greeted well-wishers after clearing immigration at Yangon's airport and removed his jacket to display tattoos of a fighting peacock, the emblem of his mother's...

Burma, Inc: Tycoons Rule as Junta's Puppets

Generals use elections, privatization to formalize oligarchs' power

(Newser) - Myanmar's ruling junta allowed the country's first elections in 20 years last week—so it could install a bunch of friendly oligarchs in the newly formed parliament, then give them first dibs in the government's firesale of state-owned entities. Unlike in China, privatization has not established an environment of open...

Suu Kyi: 'I Have So Much to Tell You'

Myanmar's pro-democracy leader picks right up where she left off

(Newser) - “We haven’t seen each other for so long, I have so much to tell you,” Aung San Suu Kyi told a jubilant crowd of thousands celebrating her release last night. The Nobel laureate emerged from seven years of house arrest with such a rapport with her supporters...

Junta Frees Suu Kyi
 Junta Frees Suu Kyi 
Nov 13, 2010 5:17 AM CST

Junta Frees Suu Kyi

Release order read to democracy leader as house arrest expires

(Newser) - Myanmar's military government today freed its archrival, democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, after her latest term of detention expired. Several thousand jubilant supporters streamed to her residence. A smiling Suu Kyi, wearing a traditional jacket, appeared at the gate of her compound as the crowd chanted, cheered and sang...

Suu Kyi Told She 'Could Go This Day'

Pro-democracy leader set for freedom in coming days

(Newser) - Rumors are swirling that Aung San Suu Kyi will be released today, according to the AP , but the Guardian reports that she will spend another night under house arrest. She was told she "could go this day," says the co-founder of her National League for Democracy party, but...

Detention Expiring, but Suu Kyi May Reject Freedom

Lawyer: 'The Lady' won't accept freedom with strings attached

(Newser) - Aung Suu Kyi's latest term of detention expires on Saturday, but the Burmese pro-democracy leader's lawyer says she won't accept freedom if it is as much of a sham as the country's recent election. Authorities have always tried to attach conditions to her freedom in the past, the Independent reports....

Fighting Breaks Out After Myanmar Election

Thousands flee as militia battles government troops

(Newser) - Some 10,000 people fled across the border from Myanmar into Thailand today to escape fighting between government troops and a splinter of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army rebel group. At least three people have been killed and 10 others wounded in the battle, which broke out in the eastern...

Freedom Next Week for Suu Kyi? Doubtful
 Freedom Next Week 
 for Suu Kyi? Doubtful 
analysis
Nov 6, 2010 9:41 PM CDT

Freedom Next Week for Suu Kyi? Doubtful

Junta seems nervous even after rigging election

(Newser) - Myanmar has begun voting in its first election in 20 years and—spoiler alert—the junta-backed party is going to win. The ruling regime has rigged the rules to make sure of that, writes Independent correspondent Peter Popham. The real question is whether the regime will release Aung San Suu...

Japan Should Apologize for Hiroshima

Or for nation's bloody actions leading up to bombing

(Newser) - Japan will commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing today, and for the first time, the US ambassador to Japan will be present. The son of the man who dropped the first atomic bomb called that gesture “an unsaid apology” from the Obama administration. But it’s not...

Rare White Elephant Found in Burma

Creature hailed as sign of good luck

(Newser) - Villagers in western Myanmar have found a rare white elephant, a traditional symbol of good fortune in a region that badly needs it. The villagers spotted the animal in a herd of five elephants and contacted the Ministry of Forestry, which captured it, Reuters reports. White elephants—which are actually...

Burma's Suu Kyi Turns 65 in Confinement

Supporters mark yet another birthday under house arrest

(Newser) - Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi marked her 65th birthday today locked in her dilapidated lakeside compound as calls for her freedom erupted around the world. President Obama and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon demanded Suu Kyi's release in statements echoed at rallies and prayer vigils across the globe. Supporters...

Burma Working on Nuclear Weapons: Report

But it'll be years before they know how to make a bomb

(Newser) - Burma has been secretly acquiring the materials it needs to build a nuclear weapon, though the country currently lacks the technological expertise to do so, according to a new report. Based on documents and photos smuggled out of the country by an army defector, the study concludes with “high...

Burmese Junta Honchos Quit the Army
 Burmese Junta Honchos 
 Quit the Army 
ELECTION ANTICS
Apr 28, 2010 4:35 AM CDT

Burmese Junta Honchos Quit the Army

Leaders plan to stand as civilians in tightly controlled election

(Newser) - Burma's prime minister and 22 of his cabinet ministers have swapped their military uniforms for civvies, a move the junta's critics say is part of the country's shift from a military dictatorship to a civilian one. Observers believe the leaders—who will keep their posts in the country's government—have...

Suu Kyi Barred From Election
 Suu Kyi Barred From Election 
Mar 11, 2010 2:07 AM CST

Suu Kyi Barred From Election

State Department slams junta's latest move

(Newser) - Myanmar's military junta has announced a law that effectively bans Aung San Suu Kyi from taking part in this year's election. The law prevents any member of a political party who has been convicted in court from taking part in the electoral process. Suu Kyi was found guilty of breaching...

Myanmar Dashes Suu Kyi's Bid for Freedom

Court quashes activist's bid to end house arrest

(Newser) - The highest court in military-ruled Myanmar dismissed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's latest bid for freedom today, turning down an appeal to end 14 years of house arrest. The Supreme Court's decision comes as no surprise as legal rulings in Myanmar rarely favor opposition activists. Defense lawyer Nyan Win...

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