The oppression of ethnic minorities has long been a part of Myanmar’s history, but recent developments in Rakhine State where ethnic violence broke out last month demonstrates the devastating consequences such oppression can have and how much more is needed from the Myanmar government.
The USA is restoring full diplomatic relations with Burma.
CGI 2011 attendees were treated to "words of affirmation and inspiration" from Aung San Suu Kyi and Archbishop Desmond Tutu during "Conversations on Courage: Humanitarian Leadership in Action"
I blogginheaded with Mac McClelland, human rights reporter for Mother Jones. Mac has reported from both Burma and Haiti. We discuss the recent elections in Burma and Haiti's ongoing crises.
Elections, elections, everywhere! This was a big weekend for the polls, with historic elections in Burma and Guinea.
Parties aligned with Burma's military junta will claim victory in a sham election. So will the election portend more misery for the long suffering Burmese people? Maybe. But maybe not.
Ban Ki Moon embarks on a swing through South east Asia, including Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and China. He will face stiff resistance to a U.S. proposal for a commission of inquiry for rights abuses in Burma.
I think we’re heading for a scary certainty that Burma has a nuclear weapons program. James Fallows from the Atlantic has a detailed blog post up on nuclear weapons in Burma, citing a new report from the Bangkok Post. Fallows cites both the Bangkok Post report and the insight of an informed friend who works in defense-related efforts, concluding “We have seen in recent world history the danger of leaping to conclusions about which dangerous regimes have what new weaponry. But to me this was news worth putting on the worry-scope…”
The Arms Control Wonk blog also has a post on Burma, examining a “big odd box” – a building with possibly nuclear purposes. First mentioned by the Sydney Morning Herald, among other sources, the building could be the basis of a nuclear reactor. It could also relate to Burma’s mysterious tunnels, that we talked about in a previous post.
Now I caveat. None of this is certainty; it’s just people speculating about open-source information. And while a lot of knowledgeable people seem to be worried about this, there’s no consensus. Andrew Seith, author of Burma and Nuclear Proliferation: Policies and Perceptions and a Research Fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute thinks that the evidence is weak.