May 14, 2013 (English Version)

As Cyclone Nears, Conflicting Messages from the Storm’s Path

As Burmese authorities evacuate people in anticipation of Thursday’s storm, some say they are being moved into harm’s way. Read More

After Chinese Arms Allegations, UWSA Shows Off ‘Thai’ Military Hardware

Ethnic Wa rebels reportedly purchase an engineless helicopter and Fokker aircraft from Thailand, with plans to place the military hardware in a public national park. Read More

The World’s Biggest Reclining Buddha

Towering 30 meters high and stretching 180 meters in length, the Two Paddy Birds Pagoda has become a popular Buddhist pilgrimage site in Mon State. Read More

Boat Carrying 100 Rohingya Muslims Capsizes off Burma

A boat carrying about 100 Rohingya Muslims capsizes off western Burma with many feared drowned at the start of an evacuation ahead of Cyclone Mahasen. Read More

Burma Says President to Make Official US Visit

Burma’s President Thein Sein will visit the White House next week, the first such trip by a Burma head of state in almost 47 years. Read More

Starbucks Sees Burma Entry in ‘Couple of Years’

Starbucks says the coffee chain’s first stores in India and Vietnam have been received positively and it might soon give Burma a shot too. Read More

Ex-Philippine President Leading in Race for Manila

Former Philippine President Joseph Estrada leads in the vote-count for mayor of Manila. Read More

Bangladesh Collapse’s Rescue Operation Nears End

Bangladeshi salvage workers near the end of their search for victims of the collapse of a factory building that killed at least 1,127 people. Read More

Sex Workers in China Subject to Police Abuse: HRW

Police in China frequently beat, torture and arbitrarily detain suspected sex workers, often with little evidence that they engaged in prostitution, Human Rights Watch says. Read More

When the Lights Go Out in an Arakan Township, Is Corruption to Blame?

Despite Kyaukphyu Township in Arakan State being granted US $10 million to improve its electricity supply by a Chinese firm, the area suffers regular blackouts, Narinjara News reported on Tuesday. Residents of the town, according to a representative of the local company tasked with delivering the service, said residents of Kyaukphyu only get about five [...] Read More

State-owned Telecoms Giant to Go Private

State-owned Myanma Post and Telecommunication will become a private enterprise, with the eventual goal being its transformation into a public company, the Myanmar Times reported on Monday. Minister for Communications and Information Technology U Myat Hein said that the new company would be called Myanmar Public Telecom, inviting companies gathered in Naypyidaw to help establish [...] Read More

Heineken Brewery Enters Burma Market

Heineken is poised to enter Burma, in a joint venture with Burma’s privately owned Alliance Brewery Co. to brew and sell its beer in the country. The Dutch brewer will own 57 percent of the venture through its subsidiary Asia Pacific Breweries, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. Earlier this year Burma granted licenses to [...] Read More

Hundreds of Burmese Migrants Arrested in West Thailand

More than 100 Burmese migrants have been arrested near the west Thai border town of Mae Sot after illegally crossing from Burma’s Karen State with a trafficker in search of employment, the Democratic Voice of Burma reported Monday. The group was arrested on Sunday, the DVB reported, adding that thousands of Burmese migrants are lured [...] Read More